Brave
by KandyandSweets
Summary: Clove Braveheart was an average girl who had just survived a horrible tragedy. She kept to herself in her house shared with Katniss and Prim and was afraid to let anyone new into her life. That was until Cato Brooks gave her all the courage she needed. Clato and Peetniss and maybe more later on. Some action to come too!
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so I got bored and decided to try something new and in third person. **

**If you like it then I'll continue. If you don't then I'll cry and delete. **

**Oh and follow my other stories! **

**Disclaimer: don't own anything. **

* * *

Clove Braveheart; a fitting name for someone as courageous and headstrong as she. A true fighter spirit that also had the rare ability to listen to others with respect. Clove held feelings of compassion, empathy, and forgiveness. Never cold blooded hatred, yet never love. She had not experienced the true feeling of love. The spark of elation whenever you see the one, the sudden knowing that you'd do anything in your power to keep your love happy, or even the sense of content security in the arms of your lover, she never got the chance to be blessed with such happiness.

That is, until she finally met the one man who would bring her all this and vice versa.

"Clove!" An irritated tone arising in her cousin's voice as she stormed upstairs and into her room. Barging in without knocking as usual due to the fact they shared a room even if their two story house has enough accommodations. Katniss never felt safe at night anymore, so Clove believed it was her responsibility to protect her now. After all, Katniss is currently vulnerable in her traumatized state being only fourteen whereas Clove herself is already turning sixteen soon.

"Yes, Kat?" She replied calmly, an attempt to sooth her cousin down a little. But they both were tense and were cognizant of the reasons for their discomfort.

"Did you say Madge and JJ could come over today?"

"Oops." She must have been unaware of the dates at that time. "Yeah, but only for a little while to work on a school project."

Her cousin's smoky grey eyes were edged with skepticism, clouded with worry and grief.

"Kat," Clove placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "They know already. They understand-_everyone_ understands- why we always keep to ourselves this day. Don't you think it's time we should have more support in this?"

Katniss Everdeen frowned, not moved at all. "No, I don't want anyone who isn't a part of our family here today."

"You and I both know we can't shut people out like this anymore. I think it's time we try to move on. Our school can only be so sympathetic for so long. They won't let us skip a day for no reason next year. We just missed a whole precious school day which could affect our grades."

"I. Don't. Care." She responded coldly before heading for the door, stopping only to turn halfway. "You know what, forget staying home today. I just can't be here today."

Clove followed her cousin's angry stomps down the stairs. "Just where do you think you're going?"

"To Peeta's," She replied as she laced on her combat boots and rebraided her dark brunette hair. "I'll call Thresh and tell him that Prim will sleepover with Rue at their place. But for now, I need to get out of here."

And with that, the brunette slipped out the front door leaving Clove alone in their depressing abode. It was deathly silent and it unnerved the once fearless raven haired girl. How can one night change someone so much? She is no longer free spirited, outgoing, or even a child anymore. She was forced to grow up to quickly to fend for herself and cousins. There is nothing fair in what these three girls went through, but there is nothing they can do to bring them back.

How can she bear to stand in this place for another second? She had to leave for today. No one would have to relive that fateful night this time.

* * *

Katniss heard the ominous rumble of thunder not to far away. She swiftly pulled her dark purple hood over her head and quickened her pace. As the heavy drops of rain attacked her skinny body, she finally allowed herself to let go of the painful tears. Why? Why did this have to happen to her family? Exactly one year passed and the usually smart brunette could not fathom the reason for the tragedy, and never will.

Still in grief, she slide the key from underneath the mat and unlocked the door to the Mellark's house. She did not care if Peeta saw her weeping because he's been there through everything for her. Every act of self harm she committed, every utterly dysfunctional and distressing moment, and every normal day Peeta was by her side guiding her patiently and kindly without expecting anything in return. He is everything to Katniss Everdeen; a lifesaver, an anchor, and a lover.

"Baby, is that you?" Peeta's low and gentle voice called from his living room. She could hear him leave his comfortable position on the couch to see her. She desperately needed him to hold her and tell her everything will be okay like always. The sight of the six foot teenager made her feel better already, her shivering body heating up as if his aura brought warmth through her very soul.

His usual endearing smile and twinkling blue eyes faded once he saw her puffy red eyes, a sign that she had another bad day. "Kit Kat what's wrong?"

Her eyes flitted toward a tall muscular stranger coming from the living room. Piercing blue eyes, spiked blonde hair, and defined jawline, he easily stood around three inches taller than Peeta. He is extremely attractive, Katniss admitted, but she wouldn't even think about it. She has Peeta and that is more than she'll ever need.

Peeta notices her curiosity. "Oh, Katniss this is Cato Brooks. He's new here in town, so I just invited him here to give a warm welcome. He will be attending our school starting Monday."

"Nice to meet you," Katniss said a little stiffly. She was not the best person when it came to introductions of unknown people. Due to her severe trusting issues, it took a while to get her to warm up to others.

A small knowing smirk appeared on his face. Katniss was beginning to think that maybe she will not like this guy as much. "Nice to meet you too. Do you live around this neighborhood?"

"Yes, only a few minutes walking distance."

"Same here. Are you in Queens Court?"

Katniss narrowed her eyes. "Yes..."

The boy smirked again. "I knew I recognized you from somewhere. Our mailboxes are right next to eachother. I'm your new next door neighbor."

She only nodded in apprehension, never able to really keep a conversation going for a long time. The ex neighbors moved a few weeks after that horrible night, no one occupying the house until now. It wasn't as nice as her house; a small one story structure with low ceilings and a small lawn. The low ceilings may pose problems for this giant boy, but it's not like Katniss would ever let him live in her home instead. Her and Clove were respectful and hospitable when they should be, but not enough to allow any one to stay at their home for more than two days. It was hard enough for themselves to remain in their house with all the painful memories bottled up inside.

That's where Peeta comes in. She usually stays at his place whether to do school work, get out of her house on a bad day, or just to spend quality time with him. Whenever she is around him, everything is better. Katniss knows she is very lucky to have someone like Peeta, but Clove is not so fortunate.

Speaking of which...she should call her cousin and apologize. They all head into the living room to make themselves comfortable. Katniss and Peeta cuddling on the couch and Cato relaxing on the chair beside the fireplace. She dials her cousin's number hurriedly, listening to it ring seven times until a voice message went off. Katniss didn't understand. Her cousin always has her phone with her and is very good at picking up her calls. The one time Clove failed to answer her calls was when she suffered a head injury and ended up in the emergency room. After the third attempt to reach Clove, Katniss began to think she may be in trouble after all.

This evoked panic for Katniss. Her cousin could be hurt or even _dying_...she couldn't risk losing someone else important in her life. She would never be sane again. Flashbacks of that horrible night flooded her already fragile mind causing her to hyperventilate.

"Katniss? Kat! Calm down!" Peeta tightened his grip on the hysterical girl. "What's wrong?!"

"Clove isn't picking up her phone! She's in trouble! I have to go find her!" Katniss gasped. "I can't lose her!"

Peeta looked desperately to Cato. His smirk was swiped clean off his face and replaced with worry and confusion. What happened to the brunette to make her like this?

"Is there anything I can do?" Cato asked desperately. Katniss began thrashing in her boyfriend's arms.

"We need to find Clove and make sure she's okay." Peeta winced when Katniss elbowed him in the stomach. "You know what she looks like?"

"Yes...I'm pretty sure I did." Cato grabbed his car keys. "I'll find her, you get Katniss to calm down."

Katniss elbowed him in the gut again. Peeta groaned in pain. "Sounds like a plan."

He turns to leave, but Peeta calls him again. "Cato! Take Katniss' phone incase Clove tries to call back."

* * *

Clove didn't mind the rain; she had other things on her mind. Her body was shivering, completely drenched to the bone, but she didn't care. It started out as a simple jog to clear her mind and ended up as a full out sprint to an undecided destination.

Where the hell is she?

She went too far and as she tried to survey her surroundings her foot snagged a huge crack in the sidewalk, the speed and momentum tossing her five feet and crashing into the rough concrete. Darkness enveloped her as she lost consciousness for a few moments. The rain continued pouring, practically drowning her as she lay almost helplessly there.

Clove Braveheart was anything _but_ helpless. She grit her teeth and gradually brought herself back on her feet. It was a thunderstorm; no one was around to ask if she was okay. She didn't need people to do that anyway for she was always able to take matters in her own hands. But Clove realized she needed to get medical attention immediately when she felt a deep gash on her right calf. She tried to walk a few steps and almost collapsed from the agonizing sensation ripping throughout her leg. Her first priority was to escape the storm and find a safer area to deal with her wounds. As she half limped half hopped, her phone lay on the ground vibrating and slowly dying from the water.

Cato drives around in his RV searching far and wide for the missing girl. She wasn't at her house or the school and now there's no sign of her in this whole neighborhood. This is an impossible task to find Clove in a thunderstorm.

"Where did you go, Clove..?" Cato mumbled to himself.

And right at that moment, Katniss' phone rang. Cato snatched the phone and realized it's from an unidentified number.

"Hello?" Cato answered formally.

"Kat? Is that you?" A girl's voice asked weakly.

"No, but I'm one of Peeta's friends. Is this Clove?"

"Yes may I speak with Katniss please?" Clove persisted.

"She's not with me. Peeta sent me to find you. Where are you?"

Cato could hear the girl wince in pain. "I'm at a telephone booth on...Blue Street."

"Okay stay there. I'll be there in five minutes."

Cato sped the rest of the way to Clove only stopping once he spotted the girl slumped against the phone booth. He jumped out of his vehicle and sprinted to aid the female in distress. She was in bad shape-worse than Clove thought herself to be-she had lost a great deal of blood from a gaping wound on her calf, deep scrapes on her elbows and knees, and her left temple was bleeding from a jagged cut. With an injury like that, she may have a concussion.

"Are you dizzy or faint?" He asks as he finished assessing her wounds.

"No I'm fine," Clove tries to stand on her own, but yelps from the searing hot pain in her calf. She is shivering-practically _hypothermic_- yet her right leg is burning up. It is not a feeling Clove particularly enjoyed.

"Take my hand." Cato offers gently, sticking out his large calloused hand.

Clove's deep brown eyes flickered up to clash with his piercing blue ones. She has never met this boy before, but there is a familiarity about him that she couldn't put her finger on. He is much more handsome up close she admitted to herself which caused her to abruptly break eye contact. She didn't need to be infatuated at a time like this. Clove needed this boy though, so she hesitantly slid her small hand to fit perfectly in his. Cato met her eyes again. The contact igniting a strange feeling in both their bodies. And as he lifted Clove bridal style toward his RV, the sensation intensified at the close proximity.

Of all the girls Cato had met, befriended, or dated, this one was very different. He never felt so strongly about a girl he had not quite understood yet. Clove bewildered him so much that he could not fathom the feelings stirring up inside.

Clove was not the affectionate type, only dating and befriending a few boys. This was different for her as well and she did not know if she liked this sensation that warmed her up from head to toe. It's indescribable to both of them as they held eachother intimately; foreign and new.

It is the beginning of something that would intertwine their lives together into a bond so strong, it would be unbreakable.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I got a few reviews so I think I can continue this story. Don't forget to read my other stories. Reviews= more confidence= updates. **

* * *

Clove hissed in pain when Cato pressed the alcohol pad against her calf. The gash was deeper than she even realized. It was all because she failed to pay attention to the one crack in the sidewalk. Typical. Her throbbing headache wasn't doing her any justice either.

"Sorry," Cato muttered before gently caressing her face so that he could clean the wound on the side of her face.

They were mere inches apart, staring deep into eachother's eyes as he applied the bandage. He could feel her warm breath against his face and she could feel his. Clove smelled like strawberries and he smelled like cinnamon. It was intoxicating to both of them. Cato used all the will power he had not to just lean in and kiss her. He knows better, but what he doesn't know is anything about this girl in front of him. Clove is the definition of an enigma to Cato which draws him in like a bee to honey.

Like a fly to a Venus trap.

Cato finished and they sat in silence as he drove the RV.

"Who are you?" Clove asked rather plainly despite the churning emotions inside.

She really wasn't good with strangers.

"Cato Brooks." He extended his hand awkwardly and she shook it softly. "Nice to meet you."

"Uh I've never seen you before..."

"I moved in from California last week."

California? Clove had never stepped foot in such an exciting state. This place is just as thrilling, but new adventures always interest people.

And Clove was already intrigued by the handsome blue eyed boy in front of her. As much as she attempts to push herself away from him, she knows it's futile. She just doesn't know if she is frightened or accepting of this attraction. The last boy she considered as more than friends was a nice boy named Marvel Emeralds. Or at least he was nice until a certain girl came along. It wasn't disheartening to see him leave so easily; I never got the chance to let him in.

But this was different.

"Tell me this," Cato continues to pick up the conversation. "Why aren't you tan yet? You know since you live in such a beautiful sunny place like this."

Clove snorts at this. "So because I've been living in Hawaii you think I enjoy getting myself sun burned on the beaches everyday?"

Clove was never the type to fuss so much over her appearance. Only Prim worried about those things while her and Katniss lazily threw on whatever was comfortable. Katniss was gorgeous naturally, but Clove never really thought of herself as attractive. She preferred it that way because she did not need to have hormonal teenage boys after her.

"Yes I did." Cato chuckled. "I imagined everyone here would be tan and go surfing all the time."

"Isn't California similar in terms of sunny weather? Why aren't you tan then?" She retorted.

He looked down at pale hands and smiled. "Touché."

"And you're stereotype of Hawaii is partially correct. Alot of us are tan and enjoy surfing except for me."

He stared at her in complete astonishment. "Even I love surfing though! Why don't you?"

"I'm just different." Clove shrugged, piquing Cato's curiosity even further.

"Well I like different." Cato flashed a friendly lopsided smile which sent her heart fluttering.

_And now I like you_, Clove thought to herself and smiled.

Cato chuckled after noticing her smile.

"What?" She asked innocently.

"I finally got you to smile." Cato flashed his pearly whites at her again. "That was pretty much a goal that I made up ten minutes ago."

"You made a goal to get me to warm up to you?" Clove couldn't help, but smirk.

"Yes and I succeeded with flying colors." Now it was his turn to smirk. "Time to achieve my next goal."

She couldn't help, but to ask."And that is?"

"To get you to laugh."

Clove rolled her eyes in a playful manner. "Good luck with that pretty boy."

"_Pretty boy_? Damn, I didn't think you were the flirty type, Clove. You're the only one I know who can be so cute without smiling."

Clove stifled a giggle and turned away so he couldn't see. What is this? Is she actually _flirting_ with a guy she barely even knows?

"Dammit," He muttered. "Almost had you."

"I doubt you'll ever succeed." Clove teased.

His face morphed into a devious expression before he parked his vehicle and began tickling her. Clove was extremely ticklish and couldn't resist him any longer. She couldn't breath from the all the laughing. In the end, neither could Cato.

"Goal number two is completed." Cato laughed before starting the RV again to resume driving.

Clove stuck her tongue out at him; a rare childish gesture she hadn't done for a while. "Cheater."

The pain in her head increased so much now that she doubled over. She had banged her head very badly, that much she could tell. Clove felt as if he were in a fog and became dizzy.

"Clove, are you okay?" Cato placed a warm hand on her shoulder which surprisingly lessened the pain slightly.

"Headache." She slurred. "Hurts..."

"Okay hang on I'm taking you to the hospital." He said as he veered the RV around and sped away.

She was in and out of consciousness as Cato carried her to the hospital. The nurses quickly rolled in stretcher and he gently laid her down on it. She remembers seeing Cato arguing with the doctors that he should go with her, but they refused. Then, she just blacked out.

She woke up with the same hammering headache. Only this time, Cato was holding her hand soothingly as she lay in the hospital bed. He smiled softly as Clove turned to face him.

"Hey there, Sleeping Beauty. How do you feel?"

"Like crap." She replied bluntly.

"The doctors said you have a concussion, but you'll be fine. Here." Cato handed her a few red pills and Clove took them gratefully. "This will help."

"Thank you." Clove smiled genuinely before popping the medication in her mouth and downing them with a cup of water.

She didn't notice her fingers were still intertwined with his.

* * *

Katniss' hysteria left her completely drained of energy. With gentle coaxing, Peeta managed to calm her down. This is one of her outrageously bad days when she throws a fit. It's not her fault though; she is suffering from a case of PTSD. Katniss is no longer diminishing, but she's not improving much either. Thanks to Peeta she has done well in keeping her sanity in check.

"I'm sorry." She mutters into his chest, ashamed of the fact she harmed him when all he ever did was help her. They are still on the couch with her laying peacefully in his secure arms.

"Don't be sorry, Kat. Everything will be okay. Cato will find Clove." Peeta said soothingly as he kissed the top of her head. "Get some sleep you must be tired."

Katniss yawned and cuddled tighter to him. "I love you, Peets."

He chuckled quietly. Making nicknames for eachother was always their thing. "I love you too, Kit Kat."

* * *

The nurse walked in on Clove and Cato laughing with their hands still linked together. It was an easy assumption on her part that they weren't just friends. She smiled, young love is always adorable and reminds her of her adolescent days.

"Clove, you may go home now, but make sure you get some rest. You may not be able to attend school for a few days because your headaches will be quite persistent. "

"Thank you," Cato eagerly stood up and helped Clove out of her bed.

"No problem," the nurse smiled as she left. "You're very lucky to have such a good boyfriend, Clove."

Those words caused both of them to freeze. It felt good to hear that, but they didn't even know their favorite colors let alone date eachother. They had a long way to go before anything could truly happen. For now, they had just a spark that would soon grow into a blazing fire.

As Cato drove in comfortable silence, Clove couldn't help but watch him out of the corner of her eye. "So I guess I won't be able to be there for your first few days of school here then..."

Cato smiled. "While you were snoozing, I called the principal."

"What for?"

"To tell them I'm sick with the flu and probably won't be able to attend school for a few days."

Clove laughed. This boy really was something else.

"Looks like I got you to laugh on your own this time." Cato smirked.


	3. Chapter 3

"Where are we going?" Clove asked. "Our homes are that way."

"Katniss is kind of worried sick about you down at Peeta's place." Cato slightly grimaced from an image of Katniss slamming her elbow into his gut. "She sort of snapped and threw a huge fit. It honestly scared the crap out of me."

Clove groaned and facepalmed herself. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright. Why did she do that though? That's what I'm wondering about." Cato glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, secretly hoping Clove would open up to him.

Clove suddenly stiffened. "I don't really think you want to know."

That only piqued his curiosity further. "It's a long ride so we still have time."

"Peeta is only a minute away, _literally_." She retorted.

Cato slowed down his RV, so that it was only traveling 1 mile per hour. "Now it will take at least three minutes."

"Cato..." Clove groaned in frustration. This boy just doesn't know when to quit. "I'm not going to tell a personal secret to someone I met just today."

He gives a fake pout. "Well I've only known you for less than a day, and I already feel like best friends."

Clove smiled; she liked that label on them. Her two best friends Madge and JJ were people she could always count on to have her back. They've known eachother since the second grade, but even Clove and Katniss keep some things just between the two of them. Madge and JJ don't need to know everything or it could mentally scar them.

Physically too.

It's still dangerous. No one who lives in that home is safe, so why would Clove have her friends sucked into this? Those two were like her sisters and Clove could never forgive herself if they got hurt because of her.

She didn't realize Cato had parked and was staring at her. "Clove?"

"Oh what? Sorry..."

He smirked. "Someone was daydreaming. As I was trying to say before I lost you there...I am a trustworthy guy, Clove. You can tell me anything and I cross my heart I will never tell."

Clove snorted. "You think I can just trust some guy that easily?"

"Well maybe this guy who just _happened_ to save your life today..."

Damn. He had a good point. She always felt like she needed to pay debts to the ones who saved her life or her family. But this is different. What he wants is just too much for her to give up. Everytime she thinks of it her throat seems to constrict her breathing and prevent her from spilling her darkest secrets.

"I...I can't." Clove bowed her head down. "It's not because of you. It's just I have major trusting issues and I just can't tell you without crying."

Clove hates breaking down in front of others. It only shows weakness and weakness is what gets you killed. Even in front of Katniss and Prim, she never sheds a tear. But all this time of holding back all the pain...it was becoming unbearable. She didn't understand why she actually started tearing up in front of a stranger. There was just something about him that made her feel safe; that it's okay to cry and show emotion around him.

"I'm sorry." Cato began to panick. "Did I say something wrong? I take it all back. I didn't mean to make you cry."

She laughed at his sudden alertness and forced back the tears like she always does. "I haven't cried since last year on this exact same day. And I'm trying to not ruin that record."

Cato was always known for his extreme persistence when he really wanted something. He didn't like no for an answer and always wormed his way through to people intentionally or not. But this time, Cato wormed his way through one barrier only to slam into a second one. For the first time, he actually knew his boundaries on this and completely respected it. She did give him a huge hint after all. It would take alot of work, but he would eventually get through every one of Clove's seemingly impenetrable walls.

Cato finally parked in front of the Mellark's home.

"What time is it?" Clove asked worriedly now that the stars were lighting up the night sky like glitter. It was around four o'clock when she started running.

Cato checks his phone before whistling. "It's already ten."

"Oh shit." She muttered. "Kat must be dying from worry."

Clove stomach growls, begging to be filled with food.

Cato laughed. "And you are dying from hunger."

She smiled and looked to the floor to avoid him seeing her blush. He saw it anyway, thinking how cute she was when she gets embarrassed. Cato got up from his seat and grabbed Clove's hand. Surprisingly, she didn't object, allowing him to lead her to his refrigerator. He produced a bowl of microwaveable macaroni and cheese within a few minutes.

"Wow, a guy who can cook." Clove joked. "How romantic."

"It's how I get all the ladies." Cato teased back and stretched his arm around my shoulder. "Pretty soon, you'll fall under my spell too."

Clove couldn't tell this time if he was kidding about that. Strangely, it didn't even matter to her. She had other things to worry about. Like the fact that she sort of _is_ falling under his spell...

And the fact that Katniss had skipped into the RV soundlessly, glaring them with her arms crossed.

"What the hell, Clove?" She growled. "I have been freaking worried sick about you and here you are eating mac and cheese with your apparent new boyfriend!"

"Kat, calm down. I honestly just got here about a few minutes ago. I was really hungry so Cato, who is _not_ my boyfriend, made me a meal." Clove tried to clarify, but her cousin was already simmering with anger.

"I thought you were _dead_." Katniss said quietly, her voice cracking. Just like that she went from burning rage to a broken girl. "I thought _they_ got you."

_What does she mean by that?_ Cato wondered to himself. _Is Clove in real danger? _

Clove pulled her in for a tight hug as Katniss trembled in her arms. Any normal person wouldn't be stable if they went through what those girls did. Luckily, Prim doesn't understand everything because she's barely ten years old. Her mind is still full of child innocence and purity; something Clove was extremely jealous of.

"Kat! Clove!" They could hear Peeta from a mile away. He never was the stealthy type like his girlfriend. Whenever he tried to sneak up on someone, there would always be a twig or creaky floor board to give him away. That's why his hobby is baking while Katniss and Clove's was hunting and fishing. Their part time jobs could only over their bills, so the girls had to find their own means of providing food.

"Clove are you okay?" Peeta holds her shoulders to assess the damage and his eyes widen. "What happened to your head and...oh crap what happened to your leg?"

Peeta was never the type to crave revenge for he lacked a single mean bone in his body. His only form of animosity was toward pain being inflicted on others. Especially, when it was those days he would catch Katniss doing so to herself. He could consider himself as the male version of Primrose, who always found something good in everything and felt responsible to care for anyone and anything. She would bring in many malnourished- and not to mention very dirty- animals and give them a warm welcome until they could be released to run amuck on the streets. Katniss and Clove despised the diseases, parasites, and other wastes that would undoubtedly result from the untamed creatures. Some of the creatures returned the mutual feelings including an ugly thing that Prim named as Buttercup. It doesn't look like a cat at all, just a messy fur ball with a squashed in nose and unappealing beady yellow eyes.

Speaking of which, where is that little devil anyway? Clove thought to herself in amusement. She would love to introduce it to Cato.

"I'm _fine_, Peeta." Clove said exasperatedly. "I just need to rest."

"Okay well you can sleep in one of my brothers' bedrooms." Peeta suggested kindly, but meekly. Clove knew exactly why.

"Uh, thanks but no." She said with her nose crinkled. "Your brothers' beds may not be the cleanest..."

Peeta's two older brothers, Matzo and Barley, were just as nice as him, but more..._flirtatious_ toward other girls. It was obvious Peeta could never do well with one night stands whereas his brothers were more frequent with those than she would like to know. They may be off to college in California doing who knows what, but that doesn't mean the boys don't have company when they visit their home.

"Maybe I should just go home..." She sighed in defeat. Guess someone has to spend a dreaded night in that place.

"You can stay with me at my place. My parents aren't home." Cato offered.

"No it's okay. I'll be fine. Can I have a ride though?"

Cato nodded and Katniss and Peeta stepped off the RV. He slid into the driver's seat and Clove sat beside him, reluctant to leave. He fumbled around with his keys while Clove chewed on her meal half heartedly.

"You sure everything will be okay C?" Katniss asked from outside. Thunder roared in the distance again signifying the storm will make another reappearance. "You can sleep on the couch."

Cato put the key in to start the RV. He was met by the spluttering and dying sound of the engine before it was silent once more. He tried it three times before banging his head against the dashboard, groaning in exasperation. Cato and Clove hopped out the vehicle right when another huge downpour of rain fell upon everyone. They were all soaked within seconds.

"Looks like the _both_ of you will be sleeping on the couches." Peeta said.

* * *

The blazing fireplace and blanket didn't help quell Clove's shivering at all. Being soaked to the bone twice did not do her health any justice. Cato was worried she would catch a bad fever while also suffering a concussion. Katniss wasn't here to help Clove; she was already asleep in Peeta's room.

"You s-should go to sleep, C-Cato." Clove stuttered. "You must b-be tired."

"Well I can't go to sleep knowing you're freezing to death." Cato finally gained the courage to stand from the couch and walk to where she was. He sat beside her, cautiously advancing an arm around her trembling body. His hand gently rested on her shoulder. They both tensed up at the same time, him because her skin was like an ice box and her because he touched her. Clove was never used to contact unless by her two best friends and her family. Nevertheless, she didn't object, for she was desperate for warmth.

"Clove," He whispered nervously. "You need body heat...you're going to have to scoot close to me."

She didn't have to be told twice. Her shivering body was pressed against his with in a second. He wrapped his arms tight around her curled form and immediately recoiled a little bit without letting go.

"Whoa." Cato muttered without thinking. "You're freezing cold...in Hawaii too."

Yet, he didn't mind. Even though it was like ice against his warm skin, it felt so right; so perfect. It was something he hadn't realized he was missing in life until now. And for Clove, the feelings were beginning to become mutual. The fear was slightly dissolving as she gripped on to this boy she somehow knew would protect her in the future. She clung to him even after her shivering ceased.

"Sorry." Clove whispered. "You didn't have to do all this for me."

Cato smiled, his eyes reflecting the dancing flames. "I didn't have anything to do today. Might as well have gone to save a damsel in distress."

"But isn't your family worried?"

He shook his head solemnly. "My dad was a criminal basically. A horrible drunk, druggie and compulsive gambler who often beat me and my little sister, Annie."

"You have a sister?" Clove asked.

"I _had_ a sister." Cato corrected. "I haven't seen her since I was seven or so."

"You haven't _seen_ her?" Clove was confused.

He looked to the ground in sadness. "Some people came to our apartment and took her away."

"Why?" She was surprised she could connect so easily with this boy. They've both suffered from loved ones being pried away from us unwillingly.

"I've never talked about my life with others, not even my best friends back in California." Cato laughed nervously before an idea popped in his head. "How about this? If I tell you my life, you have to promise you'll do the same for me. It will only stay between us."

Clove bit her lip, indecisive of what to do. It's a tempting deal. Swapping eachother's deepest darkest secrets doesn't sound so bad. Her head began to ache a little to remind her of her condition. She isn't supposed to be thinking too hard. For once, she should just let out of her fears and let someone special in.

"Okay, I promise." She said sincerely.

Cato smiled, she finally is starting to trust him more. But as he went through his story, his grin dropped. "My dad was affiliated with a lot of drug rings, gambling networks, extortionists...you know what I mean right?"

Clove nodded.

"He could never pay his debts because he gambled away whatever he would get. Then one night a bunch of men broke in and grabbed Annie. They said we get her back once my dad pays up." Cato grimaced. "I was seven years old then and I haven't seen her since."

Clove snuggled closer to Cato, telling him without need of words that she was here for him. She deserved to give him at least that. He took care of her so now it's her turn. Cato didn't feel so alone anymore in this world now that he has someone who finally understands the suffering and pain in his life. Saving Clove was the best decision he had ever made.

"I came here because I was saving up for my own place. Once I can maintain a nice home, I was going to save up even more to pay the debt and bring Annie back to live here with me." He sighed wearily. "I've had so many jobs that didn't pay shit. It's been nine years and I am not even remotely close."

"How much..?"

"Around ninety grand."

Clove inhaled sharply. How can he earn ninety grand and also manage to keep a house? He must have been saving every penny and nickel he could find since he was just seven years old. At that rate, he won't even have a chance to get that kind of money until he was fifty or he robbed a bank.

"How much have you saved?" She asked.

He looked at the ground as if ashamed. "About thirty thousand... I've been all around doing people's chores, different part time jobs within the same day, and dropped out of school. It took me a year before I could get enough to travel by boat here with my RV and buy a house here. I had to live out of my RV for a year before that too."

A single tear trailed down his handsome face. Clove pulled away from Cato's warm embrace. "And I thought I had it bad. I could have never done half the things you did. You know why I'm jealous?"

He looks down at her with those sad blue eyes. "Why?"

"I would have never had the courage to live on my own like that. I wouldn't even have the guts to leave my own home no matter how horrible. My name may be Braveheart, but I sure as hell contradict that."

The serious expression immediately lifted. His smile returned, lighting up his beautiful eyes. As if something heavy was lifted off his shoulders, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I bet you're braver than you think."

The compliment struck a nerve. Clove would have taken any other compliment than that one. She did not deserve to be called that. She was just a scared little girl who froze up instead of acting. Clove may seem to be intimidating and aloof at times, but that's only to hide the shame of who she believes herself to be.

She cleared her throat and stood from her spot. "Uhm, well it's three am so I think we should get some rest."

"I get it." Cato produced a disappointed smile. "You don't want to tell me your story."

"No that's not it." She defended, something she often does. "Let's just save it for another night."

He nodded in apprehension and stood up. "You should sleep on the couch. I'll take the mattress."

"You sure?" Clove asked nervously.

"I'm not the one with a million injuries right now." Cato smirked. She reluctantly complied, tucking herself in before turning to see him staring up at her from the floor.

"You feeling alright?" He asked considerately.

"Yes, goodnight Cato."

"Goodnight."

They drifted off to sleep within seconds, exhausted from the eventful day. Unfortunately, Clove never liked staying in one position in her sleep and fell off the couch. The mattress was soft and not as big of a drop so neither of them noticed.

In the morning, Katniss and Peeta walked hand in hand into the living room to find Cato with his arm draped protectively around Clove's waist, both asleep and content as could be.

_This could be interesting_, Katniss thought to herself as her and Peeta shared surprised glances.


	4. Chapter 4

Clove and Cato were so sleepy that they snoozed til twelve in the afternoon. Both were incredibly light sleepers, yet they never stirred once because they felt so safe; something they haven't felt in such a long time. Cato was the first to awaken. He finally became aware of the warm body in his arms and his eyes snapped open. Careful not to wake her up, he looked down to watch her. She was so peaceful in her sleep. He took the time to study this mysterious girl; midnight hair, pale beautiful skin, and soft looking lips that were slightly curved up in a content smile.

_Well, I'm tired still. Might as well go back to sleep_, Cato thought to himself as an excuse to stay in this moment.

Then he froze. He wanted to punch himself for being so careless. When someone has a concussion, it's vital to check on them every now and then. She could be unconscious, not sleeping.

"Clove?" He shook her gently.

Her eyes fluttered open. She quickly shot up in a sitting position after noticing Cato's arm around her waist. How long had she been in his arms?

"Uh, sorry...must have slipped off the couch." Clove blushed beet red. She had never been in this awkward situation before. It didn't help that he was only in a white tanktop and boxers either.

Cato scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Er...it's okay.

"Where is Kat?" She quickly changed the subject.

"I just sort of woke up around the time you did." He admitted. He offered his hand and helped her to he feet. "How are you feeling?"

Her head still throbbed. "Awesome."

He chuckled at the sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Wanna eat breakfast?"

"You mean _lunch_." Clove retorted after looking at the clock. "Go sit down on the couch, I'll go make some."

"No way, you need to rest." Cato objected.

"Fine how about we cook together?" She resolved.

He smiled. "Together."

Clove found a note with Katniss' tiny neat handwriting on the kitchen countertop.

_Went out with Peeta for breakfast and errands. We'll be back with Prim near four o'clock. Invite Madge or JJ over to take care of you when Cato leaves.  
-Kat_

"Well you don't need to invite anyone else over." Cato said, reading the note from behind Clove. "I'm not leaving you."

And he meant that both ways; now and forever. Even if it's just friends, he wants to see her smile, hear her sarcasm, and be able to trust him for everything. In school, one of the last classes he showed up to was about the story Romeo and Juliet. He never believed in those kinds of plots; that meeting a stranger could change alot in the course of just one day. Clove Braveheart was basically his Juliet.

_I hope I'm her Romeo_, Cato thought to himself amusedly. But then immdiately took it back when he remembered how the ending went.

"So..." He said as he helped Clove wash the dishes after their delicious meal. "Any words of advice for when you and I go to school?"

"Don't do anything stupid that would cause a bad impression on anybody." She scrubbed harder from anger. "Don't talk to Glimmer Rhinestone."

"Who is that?" Cato asked, already hating the girl who makes Clove simmer with rage.

"A narcissistic bitchy little princess who sleeps with every guy in school. Please don't be one of those guys." She pleads.

_She must have lost a guy to her_, Cato concluded. He made a vow to himself to never betray Clove like that. No matter how seductive or alluring this Glimmer girl may be. Plus, she just sounds like all the girls Cato dated back in California. He was never really interested in them; they never filled in the empty gap in his heart. They only dated him because of his attractive qualities and he didn't mind then because he would do anything to rid his pain. He mostly used his charm for getting and sustaining numerous jobs so that he could earn the money he needed to save his sister. Clove was truly something else. She has definetly filled the gap for Cato and he wishes he could have met her before he wasted his time with other girls who cared for no one but themselves.

"I promise I won't date her, kiss her, or even smile at her." Cato sticks out his pinky. "I pinky promise."

She smiles and her small pinky intertwined with his large one.

* * *

"Kat!" Prim squealed as she squeezed her sister in a vice like grip.

"Hey there, little duck." She chuckled and patted Prim's head. "You had fun?"

"Yes! Rue and I talked all night, up until eleven o'clock at night!"

"Ohh," Katniss mock scolded. "So late! You better take a nap when you get home young lady."

Prim giggled. "I just turned ten, Kat! I don't need to take naps."

"Of course little duck." Kat smiled endearingly. "Where is Thresh?"

"He's in the kitchen with Rue. We were setting up lunch for all of us." Prim beamed at Peeta. "You should help them out, Peeta!"

Anyone would be insane if they didn't like Peeta's cooking. He was a master chef and baker who could conjure the most beautiful delicious delicacies that just takes everyone's breath away. Sometimes Katniss visits Peeta to be his personal food tester at home. If her family was ever short in food, Peeta wouldn't hesitate to fill their bellies with his rich creations.

"Sure, Prim." Peeta and Prim went hand in hand to the kitchen with Katniss trailing behind.

"Oh good, the bread boy has come to save the day." A deep voice chuckles kindly.

"Anytime, Thresh." Peeta laughs and starts cooking. The girls sneaked glances before charging up the stairs to get some extra play time.

The group was finished with their meal within an hour of laughing and excited chatter. Katniss sent Rue and Prim upstairs to play some more while the two men and herself have an 'adult talk'. Thresh is someone who can always be trusted and has his connections due to his very wealthy parents; connections that may help Katniss get what she wants...revenge.

Thresh slumps down on the black couch, sipping a glass of water. "Those girls are so energetic I almost died trying to keep up with them."

Peeta chuckles before plopping down on a couch across from Thresh. Katniss sits close to him as always. They listen to the delighted shrieks of laughter emanating from upstairs in Rue's room.

"How are your parents?" Katniss asks to make small talk.

"They're fine last time I've heard from them." Thresh shrugged nonchalantly. "Business trip in Paris I believe."

"I see." She idly played with her hands. "Have you been able to look while they were away?"

"Yes, but understand this Kat...I can't do much if you can't remember the specific details that could help identify the group." He explained apologetically. "Was there any tattoo or anything uniform amongst those men whatsoever?"

Katniss closes her eyes, straining to remember anything about the group of men who ruined her life and stole her sanity. All she could recall was the fact they were all in horrible danger...only the sound of sobbing and bullets and the sight of blood. She hated guns after that with a fiery passion. That's why she prefers her bow and arrow and Clove with her throwing knives. Their many days of practice led to them hitting their targets easily, rarely missing. Now they're ready to fight back this time.

"I...I can't." She sighs frustrated at the fact no one can do anything until she remembers.

Peet takes her hand gently in his. "Relax Kat."

"Maybe we can ask Prim if she remembers..." Thresh started, but was cut off by her stony glare that says_ 'don't even think about it'_. "Right okay, no Prim."

"I don't want Prim to try and remember that night. Even if she didn't really understand, it was still horrible."

"Then what do you propose we do, Kat?" Thresh leaned forward in his seat. "The options are limited for even me right now. Finding them will be like searching for a needle in a haystack...actually it's like finding a freaking grain of sand in an ocean."

"Thank you, Thresh for your supporting words." Peeta gave him a pointed look. "Don't worry Kat, as long as they can't hurt you everything will be okay."

"That's just the thing, Peeta," She abruptly stood up and began furiously pacing. It was something she always did when she needed to think or just because. "They still _can_ hurt me and my family. So if that's the case, then no it is not okay at all."

"Kat," Peeta used his soothing voice; the one only reserved for his girlfriend when she needed it most. "Sit back down, please."

She sighed, those pleading blue eyes could never be resisted. Peeta wrapped his strong arms around her protectively, telling her he will always be there for her through anything and everything. But she already knew that.

"I just want this nightmare to end." Katniss said despairingly. "Prim and Clove shouldn't have to deal with this-with me. I can't keep breaking into psychotic mode especially when Prim is around. It's too dangerous."

Thresh watched his good family friend with sadness edged in his deep brown eyes. She has changed too much since that day. He would do anything to bring the old Katniss back, but the damage is irreversible. She is only but an empty cracked shell. He's searched through his parents' computers, files, anything that could help him figure out the bastards who destroyed her family and her sanity. Guilt is eating away at the hulky six foot five man because he failed to provide Katniss with help so far. He might as well do one of his closest friends a favor.

"Would you like me to take Prim off your hands until you get...things in order?" It was the least Thresh could do.

Katniss was taken aback. "That's alot to care for, Thresh. I don't know..."

"I'm just thinking of what's best for your sister. I'm pretty sure Prim and Rue would love the idea. It'll be like a long sleepover. You can visit anytime of the day, but for now she can sleep, eat, and study here."

"But it's just a huge favor I could probably never repay, Thresh." Katniss felt gracious, but also nervous at the idea of her sister not being in the next door room to hers.

"You can repay me by using that time to try and find clues you can give me to figure out who they were. Anything-even the smallest detail-can be beneficial." Thresh smiled before getting up to walk his guests to the door.

"I'll bring Prim's belongings by tonight." Katniss affirmed before kissing Thresh on the cheek. "Mahalo." {Mahalo=thank you}

"Anytime, cuz." Thresh and Peeta exchanged a goodbye man hug and with that, they went back in Peeta's car.

* * *

Peeta unlocked the door to his house to find Clove and Cato sound asleep on the couch together.

"They're asleep _again_?" Katniss whispered under her breath.

"I guess yesterday must have tired them out." Peeta chuckled.

Katniss stared at the two curled up together. "I've never seen Clove actually fall asleep in someone's arms. Especially, the fact that they've known eachother for a day."

"Well there's always that one game changer." He replied before wrapping his arms around her waist from behind. "You were _my_ game changer."

She pecked his lips softly. "And you were mine."

Peeta's bright smile lit the whole house. He gently kissed her cheek and rocked side to side with her as if they were slow dancing without music. "Let's go to your place. We need to pack Prim's things. Plus, lets give them some privacy."

They smirked at the two teenagers cuddling, unaware they would become so much more.

* * *

**Thanks to all my followers and reviewers! Sorry my updates are pretty dang slow... Anyway check out my other stories and follow/review/favorite them! Also so far for my next story the majority of the PM's or reviewers have said they wanted another Clato or Fannie or Kato story. PM me or review on one of my stories what subject you want or forever hold your peace. **


	5. Chapter 5

Cato woke up to the mouthwatering aroma of chicken soup boiling in a pot. He sat up straighter to stretch out his stiff muscles only to discover a sleepy Clove attached to his torso. Her eyes snapped open at the sudden movement.

"Hey, how you feeling?" Cato whispered gently.

Clove rubbed her eyes and then her temple. Her headache was still persistent. "Fine...whose cooking?"

"That would be me." Peeta stepped into the kitchen with a smirk on his face. "Sleep well, kids?"

Clove rolled her eyes and then noticed she was still clinging to Cato's shirt. Feeling suddenly bashful, she jumped back a few inches to give them some space. Peeta laughed before resuming his cooking. Katniss popped in from another room and joined her boyfriend in the kitchen.

"Cato, your RV is fixed now." Peeta called from the kitchen. "I had a mechanic come over while you were asleep."

"Really? Thanks man." Cato said graciously.

"Wait...where is Prim?" Clove looked around for her blonde cousin to appear and then turned to Katniss. "You said you would bring her back from Thresh's place."

The brunette cast her grey eyes down to the floor, unsure of how to tell her. "About that...Prim is going to stay with Rue and Thresh folks for awhile. She's going to live there for now."

Clove shot up from the couch instantly. "She is what?!"

"C," Katniss said sternly. "You know it's for the best. She will just be sleeping and doing her school work at their home. We can visit her all we want, but it's just not safe for Prim to live with us."

"Since when were you allowed to have complete authority over Prim like that?" Clove's voice rose. "Just because our life isn't the best right now it doesn't mean you can just give your sister away!"

Katniss simmered with rage. "I did not give Prim away. You think I want this to happen? I'm doing this because I can't keep worrying that something bad will happen and I have a violent panic attack in front of her."

"You make it seem like we can't take care of Prim ourselves! No, there is more to this, Kat, I know it. Why would you do that? Tell me now." Clove and Katniss stared eachother down, smoky grey clashing with chocolate brown.

The boys stayed and watched with uneasiness at the girls' intense bickering. Cato hoped it wasn't always like this within the family. Undetected, he slipped into the kitchen and stood next to Peeta.

"Are they always like this?"

Peeta stirred the soup slowly. "No...only problems as big as these do we ever hear them argue like this."

"What is the problem exactly?" Cato finally murmured the main question that has been floating around his mind since he's met Clove.

"It's complicated."

"Tell me, Kat! Don't act like I don't know what I'm saying!" Clove shouted.

"I've been trying to find them!" Katniss blurted out. "Okay? Are you happy?"

Clove's eyes widened and she gasped. "What?"

Cato could only stare in bewilderment. Who is she referring to? Who is she looking for? Why does Clove look so...scared?

"Thresh didn't want to, but I begged him to help me. His parents have been away and I thought I could just..." Katniss trailed off for she knew her cousin could finish the sentence for her. They understood eachother well enough where their communication was almost telepathic.

"Why would you go searching for them?" Clove was blank and distant, not even staring at her distressed cousin but at the wall behind Katniss completely lost in numbness. "After all we've been through, you would throw away whatever feeling of security we had left?"

Katniss knew she was losing Clove. "That's why I had to move Prim incase I stumbled across something...important."

"Why are you doing this?" The raven haired girl felt suddenly teary from the memories hitting her harshly. They never slipped from her eyes because she didn't let it. She never did.

The tall brunette stood taller, fire burning ferociously with hatred and rage. "I want revenge."

"You think revenge brings back what we lost?" Clove asked emotionless to the girl on fire in front of her. "You think it would heal the pain? It doesn't."

"Shut up, cuz!" She snapped back, completely losing her temper and falling into her hysteria mode. "For once I just want to feel something other than pain! You never supported me on anything ever since they came. Maybe you will when they're all dead!"

"Are you really going to stoop to their level, Kat?" Clove said rather coldly.

Katniss finally lost control and pushed her cousin. "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

That was Peeta's cue to drop his cooking duties and rush to grab Katniss. Cato followed right behind him and turned to stand in front of Clove, protecting her from the unstable mental state of Katniss. The usually aloof facade the brunette pulled off was totally gone. The girl was furious. Peeta wrapped his arms around her tightly for the second time in two days, restraining her from injuring her cousin even further.

"Katniss!" Peeta struggled to keep her still. "Stop!"

Surprisingly, she froze immediately. She slowly sank to her knees out of Peeta's grasp and crawled a little bit toward Clove. Everyone turned and noticed Clove on the floor still and holding her head in pain. She had forgotten about her cousin's concussion.

"Oh my god. Clo, are you okay?" Her voice was barely a whisper now.

Cato turned and in an instant, was kneeling by her side as well. "Clove?"

"Cato," Peeta said hurriedly. "Take her away, now. Katniss, you're staying here tonight."

So Cato gently lifted Clove bridal style and exited the house, leaving Katniss horrified on the floor still. She hurt her family. The thought tore at her soul and mind, threatening to break her further.

"C'mon, Kit Kat." Peeta lifted her off the floor. "You need to rest."

"I hurt Clove." Katniss said numbly as tears slipped down her face. "This is exactly what I was worried about."

"Kat, don't do this to yourself."

"How...how many more people am I going to hurt now? This is all my fault."

Peeta sighed and didn't say anything as they both went to his room.

Cato pulled up to his driveway. He looked nervously at Clove, but she didn't spare him a glance. She was too busy trying to hide the pain, physically and emotionally.

"Let's go inside." Cato sighed and grabbed Clove's limp hand. She slowly followed him to the front door and waited for Cato to unlock it. The house was still the same as she remembered when her old neighbors let her in. They were a nice large family of five; their eldest son being just the right age to be Clove and Katniss' playmate during their childhood. Gale Hawthorne was his name and he could have actually passed off as Katniss' relative with the smoky grey eyes and tan skin. Infact, he practically was family to them. Gale was the first one to reach the scene and call the police, but it had already been too late. His mother, Hazelle, was so afraid for her precious children that she decided it was best for them to move away. Clove and Katniss agreed, but the Hawthorne's ended up relocating all the way to California. Their family was very poor, so they couldn't even

afford to visit. The girls haven't seen their friend since they left. Sure, they get monthly postcards and letters, but Clove and Katniss missed him a great deal. Gale was the one who always protected them. Now, Katniss has someone to protect her, but where does that leave Clove?

"Anything special I should know about this house?" Cato asked as he headed for the kitchen. "Or have you not been in this house before?"

"I have." Clove stared sadly at a large crack in the white wall Gale had made. When he found out he was leaving the girls he considered family, he was so livid he slammed his fist into the wall. "One of my best friends lived here."

"Oh, who was she?"

Clove sat on the chair and rested her arm on the kitchen counter. "His name was Gale. He moved to the mainland last year."

Cato had that foreign feeling of envy. He's never been the jealous type because he had bigger things to fuss about. He hoped they never dated or his jealousy would only increase from there.

Then he froze. Why did that name sound familiar? No, it couldn't be just a coincidence.

"Gale...Hawthorne?" He said slowly, gaging Clove's surprised reaction.

"You knew him?"

"He and I were good friends before I came here. Infact, he was the reason why I moved here in the first place." Cato explained. "He told me about his old place and that I should move here. It was an irresisting offer."

Cato leaned across the counter until he was mere inches from her face. "And I'm so glad I took it."

Clove smiled for the first time after her fight with Katniss. "I'm glad too."

And in both their minds they said, "Thank you, Gale Hawthorne."

Cato wanted so badly to just kiss her, but he knew better. He pulled back reluctantly and tried to get back to cooking dinner. "So...Gale said he moved away because his mother said it wasn't safe."

Clove sighed. "Yeah."

"What was so dangerous about being there?"

"Uhm...it just wasn't good to stay here for everyone..." Clove said cryptically.

"Still don't trust me yet?"

"Well I've only known you for a day." She retorted.

Cato smirked mischievously. "That's okay. We still have at least two whole days together to get to know eachother better."

Clove didn't know whether that was a very good thing or a very bad thing.

* * *

**Keep up the reviews and follows! And keep up with telling me what you want too whether through PM or review. Another Clato story is still in the lead along with Kato and Fannie. Everlark, Gadge, Everthorne, and even a Prim and Cato one was PMed to me. Keep up the votes! More drama to come! **


	6. Chapter 6

Clove's eyes snapped open. She'd fallen asleep in Cato's arms for the third time. It was the start of a habit; a habit she didn't know was good or not. She didn't know how to feel about this boy whose done so much for her these last few days than anyone else has. Clove wasn't used to someone caring about her like Cato was. It was always the other way around for her. What she usually did was push people away so she wouldn't hurt them and herself. But this was something different, she couldn't push him away no matter how hard she tried. He's slipping through her steel hard barriers faster than she was accustomed too.

Another thing she noticed was the fact that she hasn't had a single nightmare since she had Cato by her side. His body enveloping hers as if they were puzzle pieces seemed to ward off any bad dreams that would haunt her on a regular basis. Those horrid dreams were the reason she became an insomniac and an incredibly light sleeper on the nights she actually managed to fall asleep successfully. Whenever she used to close her eyes, all she would see is blood and death everywhere. Mostly, it would be reliving that night over and over again, taunting her about her cowardice and how she could have saved everyone from this. Now, it's just peaceful silence in Cato's arms.

_He has no idea the effect he has on me_, Clove thought to herself.

She took this oppurtunity to study him. Long blonde eyelashes that matched the golden blonde color in his spiked hair; a handsome defined facial structure; huge muscles that rippled whenever he moved...he was the definition of sexual appeal.

_No Clove, don't go there_. She shook the thought from her head as he stirred slightly.

"Morning sleepy head." She whispered softly, unknowingly intoxicating him with her alluring cinnamon scent.

He gave a lopsided smile, unknowingly producing butterflies in her stomach. "Morning."

"Cato...you can let go of me now."

He looked down and noticed his arm was around her. In an instant, he flung his arm back and nervously laughed. "Err sorry."

They did the exact same thing as the night before. She slept on the couch and him on the mattress before she rolled off and landed right in his arms. It was as if she needed to be even closer to him. She didn't like depending on people, not one bit, but it's hard to fight these feelings. Especially when she liked it all so much.

Clove's phone buzzed in her pocket. Her screen had a identification photo of her and Katniss making goofy faces. Cato chuckled once he caught a glimpse of the two, unaware that the picture was just a good memory before tragedy struck. Clove didn't want to make the same mistake twice and answered the call immediately. "Hello?"

"Hey Clove." Katniss said calmly. "I'm going to school with Peeta. I'll be back to take care of you. Need anything?"

"Nope."

"Okay. Oh and Clove?"

"Yes?"

Katniss' voice was sincere in every way. "I'm really sorry about hurting you last night. I was out of control..."

"It's okay, Kat. I'm sorry I yelled at you too."

"All is forgiven, cuz. I'll call you at lunch period to check on you. Bye."

"Bye."

Clove rolled onto her stomach and turned her head to stare into his sea blue orbs. They reminded her of the beach; a place she often went with her family and best friends to spend quality time. If only she knew that time would be her last, she would have savored every moment of it. Losing what she loved most just made everything different. She could just walk to the beach easily, but she didn't have the courage to step foot on the beach alone. It was just one of those special things she shared with special people.

"So..." Cato started. "Wanna go do something?"

Clove shrugged. "Sure."

"How about we go to the beach?"

She froze. It was a simple suggestion, but to her it meant so much more. Could she manage to step onto the beach sand with someone new?

"I...I haven't been to the beach since Gale left." She admitted dejectedly.

"Well," Cato stood up and offered his hand with an assuring smile on his handsome face. "I think it's time you try going with someone new for a change."

* * *

They walked silently, Clove leading the way extremely nervous and terrified of what would happen. With each step she kept asking herself why she agreed to this in the first place. Yes, she's really wanted to. But there was a reason why she didn't. It would only remind her of her old life; the life she will never get back. She tried to distance herself from all this and hide like a coward, only to have one boy encourage her to change.

Clove and Cato could hear the waves gently crashing along the shore before the sight of the eternal ocean appeared. They were almost at the sand when Clove stopped. She stared down at the tiny pieces of it near her slippers, hesitant to continue forward. The overwhelming feelings took over the fifteen year old and she knew she couldn't do this.

"The beach is even better than the ones in Calfornia." Cato sighed contentedly, already on the sand. He surveyed the swaying palm trees and the now cloudless sky. He made the right choice to come here, that much was certain. Too bad he had to sell his surfboard for his savings.

Cato noticed Clove in distress. He strolled over to her. "You alright?"

She cleared her throat, her gaze shifting everywhere but to his. "I'm fine. You go on ahead."

"No." Cato folded his arms and stood straighter with authority. "Why can't you just join me on the beach on such a beautiful sunny day?"

"I don't know." Clove answered honesty. It was as if a force was holding her back, preventing her from feeling the warm sand between her toes. "I just...can't."

Without warning, Cato lifted her over his shoulder and started walking toward the waves. "Then let me help you there."

"Cato! Put me down!" Clove struggled, but the six foot four boy refused.

He grunted. "Stop kicking."

When he felt he was close enough to the waves, he flipped Clove and held her bridal style to stare into her worried brown eyes. "Clove, I don't know whatever is scaring you, but you need to face your fears. I'm going to let you down, okay?"

She nodded, inhaling deeply to prepare herself. Gently, he let her feet land on the sand for the first time in a year. Clove clung onto Cato's shirt as she felt the warm sand between her toes. He held her just as tight with his huge hands resting on her back, supporting her physically and emotionally the whole time.

"See?" He whispered into her ear. "You're braver than you think, Braveheart."

* * *

They spent another few hours at the beach talking, laughing, and savoring each moment of this day. She missed everything about this place and now she can finally enjoy it thanks to the blue eyed boy. Clove was so indebted to him, she knew she could never repay him for all he's done for her. That's when the idea popped in her mind.

"It's your turn now." Clove said with a genuine smile lighting up her face.

Cato was slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

"You've saved my life, you've taken care of me, and you brought me here...now I'm going to help _you_."

Cato was amused. "How?"

"By helping you get Annie back."

He fell into a shocked silence. No one had ever offered to help him with his difficult endeavors before. It was understandable because ninety grand was an overwhelming amount of money to pay off. It's almost impossible to earn that even if it could save his only true family.

"_How_?" Was all Cato could manage to ask.

"We'll sell our stuff too. Katniss, Peeta, and I can get part time jobs while making money off our hunting. Prim can do chores for others. The list is endless, Cato."

"You don't have to do that for me." He said nervously, not wanting her to go through any trouble for him.

"I do." She replied calmly. "You saved me now I save you. Once we all save enough money, we'll all go down to California and get your sister back. I promise."

"Why would you try to save someone from my family?" Cato was itching to hear this answer to gain more insight on her life.

"Because I know how you feel...to lose family. I would do anything to bring them home."

Before Cato could ask anything more, Clove's phone rang.

_How convenient_, Cato and Clove thought at the same time; one with relief and the other with annoyance at the interruption.

"Hey, cuz." Clove sat down and ran her free hand along the smooth sand.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine." Clove flashed a warm, appreciative smile up at Cato. He knew then that now isn't the time to ask her about her personal life. It didn't bother him because he still has at least one more free day with her. "How's school?"

"The usual." Katniss replied. Then, she heard the distant sound of waves and the breeze gently shaking the palm trees. "Wait...are you...?"

Clove laughed. "Yes, I'm at the beach with Cato. Can you believe it? Well, I should let you guys finish your lunch. See you later. Love you!"

She hung up, leaving Katniss totally bewildered. "No...I _can't_ believe it." She said half shocked into the phone even though her cousin wasn't there to hear it.

"Hey I thought you were going to let me talk to her!" The energetic blonde chirped with her favorite fruit still in her hand. Strawberries.

"Sorry Madge, but she was apparently busy." Katniss said still a little confused. Clove at the _beach_? With _Cato_?

Madge Undersee huffed a little and pouted like a little stubborn child, her nice curls bouncing in the process. Peeta just laughed and put an arm around her shoulder to give her a reassuring squeeze. "Ease up, cuz. You can visit her after school."

The two blondes could be considered brother and sister due to the eyes and their outrageously happy personalities. Even though they were just cousins, they treated eachother as such. Like Katniss and Clove to Prim, a little girl the two teenagers would go to the ends of the Earth to keep her safe from harm.

"You said Clove was at the beach?" Another girl asked to the left of Katniss. Slim with sleek red orange hair that fell just below her shoulders and sharp green eyes that caught every detail, one could associate her with a fox.

"Yes, JJ."

Jacqueline JJ Akamai raised her eyebrows in surprise. "That's...interesting. I thought you two never go to the beach anymore."

"That's what I'm confused about too." The brunette admitted. Something was definetly different with her cousin.

"Is she with _Cato_?" Peeta asked with amusement lighting up his soft blue eyes.

"Who?" Thresh asked curiously with his arms loosely around Jacqueline's waist.

"New guy from the mainland." Peeta explained. "He's the one who saved Clove a few days back."

Like Clove and Katniss, Thresh didn't feel comfortable with strangers. "I want to meet this _hero_ guy."

"Relax," JJ warned smoothly. "You don't need to try and intimidate every male that comes into our lives. You already scared the crap out of Peeta when he first came around."

Thresh and Peeta laughed good naturely at the memory. "I only was trying to make sure he wouldn't hurt my girls like the Marble bastard or whatever the hell his name is."

"It's _Marvel_." A cold voice snarled.

The group of five turned to glare at the skinny six footer brunette with a scowl plastered on his usually snide face. Only hateful words could describe their feelings for this boy. _Insensitive. Repulsive. Traitor_. Thresh and Katniss wouldn't mind breaking that stupid pretty face of his, but Clove advised against it.

"Get lost, jackass." Thresh said menacingly.

"Go piss off someone else like you always do. It is your _only_ talent after all." JJ quipped. Unlike her intimidating boyfriend, she was always the more mature one who uses wits to strike.

Marvel scowled even deeper. He is the revengeful type like Katniss and Thresh. "No need to be bitchy."

Madge, who lost her friendly aura, let out a short humorless laugh. "Are you kidding me? We have every right to kick your sorry ass."

"Even if you're the governor's daughter that doesn't mean I'm scared of you. You're all just mad because I found someone better than Clove." Marvel smirked. "Where is she now? Crying over me at home?"

Katniss stood up with her fists clenched. Peeta immdiately standing beside her incase she turns violent. "Why the hell would she waste her time thinking about someone as moronic as _you_? She has better things to do than cry about you messing around with some fake doll."

Marvel's face turned bright red. "My girlfriend is _not_a fake doll, you stupid bitch."

Now it was Peeta's turn to be mad. "Don't ever talk to my girlfriend like that, Marvel. You can't call her stupid when you're the one dating Glimmer."

"Oh and correction," JJ stood up calmly with an angry Thresh and Madge. "She's not a fake doll. Katniss meant to say she's an _overused toy._"

JJ grabbed her backpack and the others followed suit. "_If_ you get what I mean." She smirked before leaving a flustered Marvel behind to absorb her cleverly worded insult.

Thresh put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. "Have I ever told you how much I loved you?"

"No need to." The red head smiled. "It was too easy."

The five of them laughed together momentarily forgetting their problems.

* * *

Clove spent the rest of her time with Cato teaching him some things about her life. She showed him the stores and shops she usually buys or sells to including the place she earns money from her own hunting and fishing. Then she toured him to the small, but lovely library that she and her family and friends went to often. Books were one of the many forms of escape from reality for Clove. She described her friends that Cato would soon have to meet and more about the school as well.

"Is there any place I can get a job from?" Cato asked after they finished their cones of shaved ice; a cold treat Hawaii was famous for.

Clove considered each place, trying to match him with a job that pays well and something he can enjoy doing at the same time. "There is a really nice surf shop nearby our neighborhood. Fourty to fifty bucks per part time shift which is about three hours. I can get you the job easily."

Cato quirked an eyebrow. This girl always knows how to pique his curiosity. "How?"

Clove smiled. "You'll have to meet a good family friend of mine."

* * *

It was four o'clock already. Katniss and Peeta already knew where Clove and Cato were headed and they wished him luck.

"He may seem intimidating, but he's really just a big softie." Peeta reassured before they left.

He parked his RV in front of the nice three story home. "Is this really his house?"

"It's nice, yeah?" She tried to make the tension decrease.

"What if he doesn't want to employ me?"

"I'll make sure of it. He never says no to me. Just try to connect with him." Clove said calmly.

"And how the heck am I supposed to do that?" Cato tightened his grip on the wheel.

"Trust him with something. Be _honest_. Tell him why you need this job." She answered truthfully.

"_What_? I'm not telling him why I'm here. That's _private_."

Clove chuckled. "Nothing is private when it comes to Thresh."

* * *

**That was a long chapter for me! I was sick today so I has some time to write a random chapter down. :) Next chapter is Cato meeting Thresh. Plus some really intense drama unfolding next. Keep up with the votes/reviews/follows/PM! Read my other stories! Love you all 3 **

** Btw, akamai (JJ's last name) means smart. In this story I made her part Hawaiian to vary it up a little. Any Hawaiian or pidgin term I'll define at the bottom. :) **


	7. Chapter 7

"What do you mean by that?" Cato asked nervously.

"He has...connections." Clove answered cryptically.

"Is he a criminal?"

She chuckled. "No, Cato. He has the good kind of connections. His parents work with the FBI and CIA."

That still didn't ease Cato's tension at all. "So he could just search me up on some government computer or whatever and dig every dirty secret about me?"

"He's doing that for Kat right now..." Clove mumbled under her breath, but he heard anyway.

"What is he doing for Kat?"

"Nothing." She said quickly.

He huffed. "And you're telling me that _I_ need to be honest."

She rolled her eyes. "Can we just go inside already? I want to return home sometime _today_ please."

Cato inhaled deeply before hopping out of the RV with Clove behind him. He was still pretty stiff with anxiety, so Clove did something she's never done before. She slipped her small hand into his. The blonde was startled at the innitiation before he finally intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Stop worrying, Cato. You'll do fine." She flashed him a reassuring smile which sent warmth throughout his body and relaxed him.

Clove rang the doorbell three times. The melodic chimes echoed loudly through the house before heavy footsteps could be heard. Once the door swung open, Cato tightened his grip on Clove's hand. He was taller than the blonde and equally as muscular with hazel eyes that sent daggers through him and solemnity edging his every feature.

"Howzit Thresh?" Clove greeted with a smirk on her face.

His eyes instantly changed from stony to gentle and kind. A wide grin lit up his face as his attention averted to the girl who was almost a foot shorter than him. "Good to see you're better now, Clo. Come on in!"

Cato never let go off her hand once yet. She didn't mind the least bit. Thresh casually sat down on the couch across from the two and his friendly aura returned back to his serious one. His stony eyes flickered between the blonde and raven haired teenagers before slyly glancing at their intertwined hands.

"So...Cato." Thresh said calmly. "Are you dating my little Clo?"

Cato tightened his hold on her hand even more from reflex. "Uh, no sir."

Clove laughed. "Oh, knock it off Thresh. You're going to make him piss his pants. Cato saved my life, so I think he deserves some credit."

The dark muscular boy chuckled too. "Okay fine."

Cato was relieved. _Thank you Clove._

"So you want a job, yeah?" Thresh asked with a friendlier tone in his deep voice. "Why at my surfing shop?"

"Clove told me about your place because she knew I loved surfing back in California."

Thresh quirked an eyebrow. "You do huh? How long you been surfing?"

"Since I was six." Cato answered. "I would go whenever I had the time or whenever I needed to get away from my dad."

"So then I'm assuming you can ride the stick on the waves pretty well, yeah?"

"Excuse me?"

"He means surfboard." Clove translated.

"Oh, yeah I can. But the waves weren't as great in my area."

Thresh smiled. "Boy, you better learn the pidgin or you're gonna have a hard time here. Maybe we can go surfing sometime together?"

Cato grinned. Thresh is a cool guy. "Yeah, that's fine with me."

"You're giving him the job though, yeah?" Clove asked.

"Hell yeah." Thresh leaned back into the couch. "Your boyfriend is chill enough to hang with me."

She rolled her eyes playfully while Cato sighed in relief.

"Your shifts are Mondays and Thursdays from four to seven. Sixty bucks per shift. Don't give me a reason to fire you." Thresh threatened in a joking manner.

"Sixty bucks?! I won't let you down boss." Cato said overjoyed. "Thank you. You have no idea how much I need the money."

"Actually, I do know." Thresh replied seriously.

"Thresh!" Clove hissed. "I told you not to search him!"

"No it's okay." Cato said calmly. He didn't want to piss off his boss on the first day. "He would have found out sooner or later. Do you know about my sister?"

"Yes." He admitted guiltily. "That's why your pay is sixty dollars."

"Why would you do that for me?" Cato asked, surprised at the kindness he's receiving since his stay here.

"You saved my little Clo. You're already cool with me because of that. It's no trouble at all. The gang you owe wouldn't give up your sister until you paid them every single penny anyway."

Cato and Clove both stiffened. How would Thresh know the culprits when police couldn't do anything about it? The cops only helped clean up his mess of a father and arrested him right on the spot. Cato had run away the day they placed him in foster care.

Thresh then realized that Cato may not have even known what kind of criminals he got mixed up with. "Sorry...I thought you knew who they were..."

Clove shot up from her seat. "Give me the files or whatever you have right now."

"Clo," Thresh warned. "You know I can't be showing people files."

"You're not even supposed to be viewing them yourself." She retorted. "Files. _Now_."

* * *

Thresh and Clove both headed up stairs to the office, leaving Cato alone to look around as he pleased. He walked around and studied every detail of the house. And that's when his eyes landed on the pictures. There were frames of many shapes and sizes of people he hadn't seen before and people he had. Cato saw one that appeared to be a real biological family photo; Thresh and his father almost identical in height and looks, a short nice looking lady he presumed to be the mother, and a little girl who was a mini replica of the mom.

"That's me right there." A tiny finger points toward the little girl in the picture. Cato jumped a few inches backwards, completely amazed someone snuck up on him so easily.

He could easily tell she was Thresh's little sister. They had the same dark skin and hazel eyes only hers was full of innocence and curiosity. Her brother's eyes were filled with wisdom from experience. She was really petite girl considering she was related to someone as big Thresh.

The little girl giggled, her midnight curls bouncing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's alright." Cato always had a soft spot for children no matter how devious they can be. "What's your name?"

"My name is Rue." She smiled sweetly. "Who are you?"

He crouched down so they could see eye to eye. "I'm Cato. Nice to meet you."

They shook hands and soft laughter was heard from behind him. He spun around, his eyes landing on Clove with a special twinkle in her deep brown eyes. She had never witnessed him with little kids and it pleased her to see he could handle them rather well.

"Guess you can babysit my little cousin now." She winked.

"Oh please," Thresh smirked. "Rue gets along with anyone. Even if they were part of a drug cartel, my little sister would find a way to befriend everyone."

The mention of illegal activities brought them back to this current situation. The files. Two large files-most likely filled with precise details- rested in Thresh's large hands. Clove was discreetly holding her arms around her stomach, for she had stolen files when Thresh wasn't looking and stuffed it under her T-shirt. Well, technically it was Cato's shirt.

"Rue, can you go play with Prim?" Clove asked nicely. The little girl nodded and scurried upstairs.

"These files have information on your family and the gang." He handed Cato the huge stacks reluctantly. "Please do not lose these. My parents will kill me if they found out about this."

"Found out about what?"

Everyone turned around to see a little blonde girl with wide blue innocent eyes next to Rue. They were on the balcony upstairs listening to the whole conversation. Cato was surprised. He presumed it was Katniss' sister, Prim, but he didn't expect there to be such a difference between the two. They were complete opposites; Clove and Katniss looked more alike.

"Yeah," Rue chimed in. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing." Clove and Cato replied at the exact same time.

Thresh chuckled, a knowing smirk on his face. "Time for you kids to go home."

* * *

"So what are you hiding underneath _my_ shirt?" Cato asked with an amused smirk on his face.

Clove stiffened. "I don't know what you're talking bout."

"Aw, c'mon Clove. Don't make me tickle you." He warned playfully. She moved out of his reach and sat on the couch of the RV. Cato pouted. "No fair."

Clove smirked, but it dropped once he turned back around to focus on the road. When times were really desperate, she was forced to steal from others. Money, food, anything she deemed valuable would be snatched without people even realizing it. Now that she was able to support her family and home, she promised she would never steal from others unless she had too. The files she grabbed from Thresh's home was something she just had to do. Her curiousity had gotten the best of her.

"Just wait and you'll get what you want, Cato." Clove whispered to herself.

* * *

**Next chapter...a nice little drama surprise :) **

** keep up with the votes! Clato is still in the lead in front of Fannie and Kato**.


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the long wait! It's been super crazy plus it was my birthday on Christmas Eve so that day and Christmas was pretty busy. To make up for it I added in some drama. :) **

* * *

"How would you like to spend the rest of the day, Ms. Braveheart?" Cato asked in a mock polite tone. Clove had spent the night at his place again due to his persistent pleading. He didn't want her to be alone at any moment with a minor concussion. That and the fact it was a perfect excuse to spend more time together.

"Hmm...well since school should be over by now...would you like to meet my other friends, Madge and JJ?"

The idea didn't thrill him. What if they didn't like him? Then Clove wouldn't want to be around him anymore. That conclusion didn't really help either.

"Uhm, well..."

"Cato," She smiled reassuringly and almost lost herself in his blue eyes in the process. "If Thresh likes you, then it's really easy to get JJ to like you. If JJ likes you, then the same goes for Madge. Catch my drift?"

Cato nodded, but swallowed nervously for what's to come.

* * *

Katniss and Peeta invited the whole crew: JJ, Madge, Thresh, Clove and now Cato. Rue and Prim came along as well. Clove and Cato had yet to arrive though, leaving JJ and Madge to try picturing the boy who saved their best friend.

"Is he cute?" Madge giggled.

"Madge, he and Clove are sort of a thing. Plus, you have a man." Katniss reminded her.

"Gale and I are done." She said solemnly. "We agreed to go our separate ways. Long distance relationships never work out."

Katniss sighed in empathy. Gale and Madge were happily together for two years until he had to move. She had cried for a week straight after he left. Even though they both claim it's for the best, Gale and Madge will always love each other no matter what. Gale had even considered proposing to her after graduation. Katniss and him were that close in their friendship that only her and Clove had known about his plan.

"We're here!" Clove strides through the front door with Cato slowly trailing behind her.

"Cee Lo!" Madge squeezed her best friend in a tight embrace. She calls her that because of her nickname, Clo. If spelled out it sounds like Cee Lo (as in Cee Lo Green). It's a silly term of endearment, but in those hard times they just needed something to laugh about.

"Can't breathe." Clove rasped out, entrapped in her friend's death-like grip.

"Madge, you're going to break her back." JJ smirked. She and Clove exchanged a brief hug before the two girls turned to face the mysterious stranger.

JJ used that time to study him shortly. _Probably not a local boy,_ she thought amusedly to herself.

"Girls," Clove gestured toward the tall blonde. "This is Cato Brooks, the one who found me."

Madge, as usual, was the first one to introduce herself. "Hi I'm Madge Undersee, Peeta's cousin."

They shook hands. "Nice to meet you. Gale told me all about you."

Clove froze. She forgot to tell Madge about Cato befriending Gale in California...

She was almost speechless for the first time. "You...you knew Gale?"

"Yes," Cato smiled reassuringly. "He loves you...like a _lot_. He's a real ladies man, but he never goes out on actual dates because of you."

The girl blushed a deep shade of red and bashfully stepped backward. JJ took this as her cue to introduce herself. "I'm Jacqueline Akamai, but everyone calls me JJ."

They shook hands too and JJ stepped back so Thresh could put his arm around her. The red haired girl couldn't help, but notice the way Cato turned to smile at Clove. It was the way Thresh would always look at her or the way Gale stared at Madge; a look filled with such endearment and love.

"So...Cato." Peeta started with a small smile. "You like watching movies?"

* * *

They all settled on the couch or the carpet with popcorn, soda, redvines, and in Madge's case, strawberries. It was one of the many traditions the group held. Even Rue and Prim were sometimes allowed to join them if the movie was age appropriate. At least once a month or more frequently they gathered at Peeta, Madge, or Thresh's place to watch a movie of any category or genre.

"What have you got for us, Peets?" Katniss asked as she chewed on a redvine.

He was at the television set sorting through his movie collections. "Well...I have scary movies, comedy, romance..."

"Ooh do a romance or a chick flick!" Madge squeaked. She was always into love and all things girly; the paradox of Clove and Katniss.

Thresh rolled his eyes. "I thought we agreed that chick flicks were out."

"How about a scary movie this time?" JJ suggested, her sharp mind thinking ahead of everyone as usual. What do some girls do when the movie turns very gruesome? Hide in the arms of the guy beside her of course. She hoped Clove would do the same.

"Really?" Thresh was amused. "You never were the type to watch scary movies. I didn't think you could handle them."

"Would you rather we watch a chick flick?" She quipped with a smirk.

Thresh rolled his eyes again. He never wins when it comes to his witty girlfriend. JJ grinned and gently rested her head on his shoulder which caused Madge to smile sadly. She missed Gale more than ever. He was her rock and she was his.

"Scary movie?" Prim whined with a pouty look on her face. "That means Rue and I can't watch with you guys."

"You can go play in another room together." JJ suggested kindly. The two girls giggled before zipping down a hall into another room.

The movie was indeed frightening and disturbing. JJ was lying down on the couch in Thresh's arms, paying more attention to Clove and Cato than the television. Katniss was nonchalant, but she cringed at every scene that incorporated guns. Her boyfriend had no stomach for this in the least bit. He focused more on the beautiful girl in his arms and avoided looking at the screen like his cousin.

Clove was tensely sitting with her arms hooked tightly around her legs. Suddenly, a sudden loud noise and scream sent her jumping into Cato's arms. He wasn't the least bit fazed, he had his share of spooky movies in California. Plus, with Clove now in his arms he felt perfectly contented.

JJ smirked. _Your welcome Cato._

"Rue, what are you doing?" Katniss asked curiously. Everyone turned to see Rue trying to sneak away from the table behind the couch.

"I...uh...I was trying to see if there was any food left for me and Prim." She replied shyly, looking at the ground in embarrassment.

"There's redvines in the kitchen." Peeta gestured towards the general area.

"Right, thanks." The little girl scurried to grab a redvine and then to the room where Prim was.

Madge giggled. "Rue is such a cutie."

But Thresh narrowed his eyes in suspicion in the area where his sister had just been snooping around. He knew the little girl better than anyone else. She was lying about something, but he let it go and turned back to enjoy the movie.

Little did they know that Rue had stolen something from the table behind them.

* * *

"Rue is this really a good idea?" Prim whispered.

"C'mon Prim, I just want to explore a little."

Rue slipped out the window with Prim following nervously behind. They sprinted across the lawn and down the streets till they finally reached Cato's house. Rue withdrew the stolen keys from her pocket and unlocked the door with ease. She pushed the door open slowly so they both could peer into the small dark interior of the home. As she had predicted, Cato wasn't living with anyone else.

"I feel like a criminal." Prim mumbled under her breath as they searched through the place.

Rue heard anyway. "Just keep looking. I want to find out what Thresh gave Cato."

"Why now all of a sudden?"

"Because...I'm ten years old and Thresh still treats me like a two year old. I want to know what my parents do now. I want to know _something_ for once."

Prim could relate. Her cousin and sister always withheld information from her because they thought she was too young and naive to understand; too pure and innocent to see. They didn't know that she had grown up faster than all the other kids with mothers and fathers. Primrose Everdeen was no longer a little girl. A childhood cannot exist without her parents to protect her from the animosity and cruelty in the world. She could recall the last night she had with her whole family before her parents were torn away from her forever.

_"Prim, whatcha doing?" Clove asked, sitting down beside her in her room. _

_"It's mommy and daddy's anniversary tomorrow, so I'm writing them a letter." She said as she scrawled messily on a piece of paper. _

_Katniss then stalked into the room with an unusually wide grin on her face. "Hey." _

_"Some one just got kissed by Peeta Mellark." Clove snorted. _

_"What are you talking about?" Katniss defended, but with a deep red in her cheeks. _

_Prim crinkled her nose and resumed her letter. She wasn't old enough for those kinds of things yet. After her letter was finally finished, she decided to make a drawing as a nice addition to the gift. Hearing footsteps coming up the stairs, she swiftly hid the papers under her bed. _

_Her mother peeped past the door. "Hey ladies, ready for bed yet? It's almost one o'clock in the morning!" _

_Her whole slim figure slipped into the room. She had a bright white smile and wrinkles around around her loving blue eyes from grinning too much. Prim and her mother were practically twins whereas Katniss looked more like her father. Her father had the olive skin with dark brown hair and smoky grey eyes that lit up whenever he saw her mother. _

_"Mom," Katniss whined playfully. "We're teenagers. We don't need a bedtime." _

_Her father walked into the room and wrapped an arm around his wife. "Prim has a bedtime though. C'mon we don't want you all to be vegetable tomorrow." _

_"Aww," She pouted before hopping into bed. Her parents tucked her in and kissed her forehead softly. _

_"We love you baby." Her mother whispered. _

_"I love you too." _

_Katniss and Clove went to another room and her parents went downstairs. The blonde sneakily pulled out her drawing and letter on her desk to finish some last details. Proud of her work, she slowly drifted off content as could be. She planned to show them her wonderful artwork the very next morning. _

_That's when she awoken to the loud sound of glass shattering downstairs._

What her sister and cousin didn't know was that she had remembered every single detail of the horrific event. It was something painfully ingrained in her mind; something that mentally scarred her for life. The nightmares of that gruesome night were frequent, but she never told her remaining family about them. She was old enough to handle things on her own; Prim was ready for this.

But when she finally found the files, her breath quickened with renewed fear. Her heart beat erratically and her fingers shook as she studied the contents of the confidential documents. Suddenly, she gasped and she dropped the papers, letting them spill everywhere.

She was definitely not prepared for something like _that_.

* * *

The movie ended and the whole group let out a sigh of relief. It truly creeped them out to a great extent. Clove was still in Cato'a arms which put a sly smirk on all the other's faces.

"Aww you guys are so cute." Madge giggled. Clove smacked her knee as a result. "_Ouch_, what the hell Ceelo?"

"Stop acting like we're a couple." She hissed defensively. "We're just friends."

"For now at least." Peeta smirked. The two blushed a deep shade of red.

"Hey Cato, so there's a school dance coming up next weekend...and Clove doesn't have a date yet..." JJ hinted with sly grin.

She slapped JJ's leg too. "That's because I'm not going."

"Relax guys." Katniss cut in. "He and Clove just met a few days ago. Give them another day and they'll be major love birds."

Clove and Cato couldn't do anything else, but meekly glance at the other and blush again. He finally stood up and helped her up with him. "Uhm, I'm going to go...hey wait a minute."

He looked under the table and under the couch. "Where are my keys?"

Thresh stood up abruptly, catching JJ before she flipped off his lap. He ignored her confused look. "Dammit."

"What?" Madge asked with the same bewilderment everyone had.

Thresh grabbed his keys on the kitchen counter and paused to let out an exasperated sigh. "Rue."

Katniss shot out of Peeta's arms. "Prim."

* * *

"Prim, what's wrong?"

Her back was to her, but Rue could make out Prim trembling. She slowly walked up to her and studied the scattered papers around her. There were pictures of Cato as younger boy and a little girl she didn't recognize along with photos of rugged looking men both single and group pictures.

"Prim?"

The blonde didn't even respond. Her usual lively blue eyes were filled with disbelief. This scared Rue because she's never seen Prim like this before. Infact, she would rather have her crying than frozen in shock.

The door jiggled and then was thrown open. Clove was the first one to jump in along with the rest of them. She and Katniss ran to Prim and Thresh to Rue.

"What were you thinking?" Katniss asked as she shook Prim.

Clove turned to face an impassive Cato. "I'm so sorry, Cato. I didn't think Prim and Rue would actually read your files. In really sorr-"

"It's okay." He interrupted with a hurt expression clearly etched on his face. It took a lot for him to finally tell someone his problem only to have it spread around like an infectious disease.

Clove softly rested her hand on his bicep and tried to say some words of comfort. Katniss interrupted her before her mouth could even open. "Clo, Prim isn't speaking."

"Prim what's the matter?" Clove asked gently. The little blonde was finally beginning to shed tears.

"The people in that picture." She pointed at a group of disheveled looking men in a photo.

Clove picked up the photo. "Yes, Prim. Those are the bad guys who Cato is having trouble with."

Prim sobbed a little harder. "They...they were at our house _too_! They were there! _They_ did this."

It was dead silent. Everyone in the room had stiffened at her words. How could that even be possible?

"Are you sure Prim?" Katniss asked nervously. "It could be another group of men."

Prim sobbed even harder before nodding her head furiously. "I'm positive. It's the same people."

* * *

**So to recap since I haven't updated in a while...Prim recognized the group of men who killed her parents. That group of men also took Cato's little sister... What are they going to do about that? :O **

**review, favorite, follow! I'm still trying to get more votes so keep it up! Clato is still in the lead with Fannie right behind. Oh and PM me or review what you think the group should do about those bad guys now. :) **


	9. Chapter 9

_"Prim what's the matter?" Clove asked gently. The little blonde was finally beginning to shed tears. _

_"The people in that picture." She pointed at a group of disheveled looking men in a photo. _

_Clove picked up the photo. "Yes, Prim. Those are the bad guys who Cato is having trouble with." _

_Prim sobbed a little harder. "They...they were at our house too! They were there! They did this." _

_It was dead silent. Everyone in the room had stiffened at her words. How could that even be possible? _

_"Are you sure Prim?" Katniss asked nervously. "It could be another group of men." _

_Prim sobbed even harder before nodding her head furiously. "I'm positive. It's the same people."_

* * *

No one knew the right words to say. How could they? They just figured out a horrifying connection between Clove's family and Cato. The fact that Prim remembered every detail didn't help their consciouses either. Why couldn't they recall everything like her?

Because they knew what was going to happen once those men pulled out their weapons; they knew they were goners.

And Prim did not.

Katniss held her sister tightly in her arms as a form of protection for both of them. Prim needed the comfort whereas Katniss needed her to hold on to before the mini flashbacks consumed her mind and wracked her stability again.

Clove could only turn around towards Cato with a terrified look upon her face. "If this is true; if these _are_ the same people, then you are dealing with even worse people than I had thought."

Cato shook his head in disbelief. "How can this be? Annie was taken in California...you were in here. It's not exactly a walk in the park."

"No," Thresh stepped forward with Rue holding his hand. "It's definitely possible."

"How?" Even the witty JJ was perplexed. Thresh would fill her in on everything because she could always keep a secret. However, this was something she wasn't expecting either. "Didn't you say gangs only stay in their own territories?"

"This is a different type of gang." He explained with a worried look in his eyes. "These are more like...ring leaders of typical gangs."

"That doesn't sound good." Madge said grimly.

Thresh sighed. "It's not...at all."

The room went silent once again until Peeta finally asked what everyone else had in mind. "So...now what?"

"Nothing," Thresh simply answered. "We can't do anything yet. I need to get some things arranged before we can consider the options."

"And what options do we have?" Madge asked, afraid of his answer but also dying to know.

He took a deep breath and a pause. "We do nothing and go about our lives...or...we go to California and get some closure."

* * *

They decided to call it quits for the night anyway. The recent discovery was much too overwhelming for the group of adolescents. There was nothing to be done...for now.

"Cato," Clove asked after helping him clean up the papers. It was just the two of them now at midnight. "Can you stay with me in my place? You know with my concussion and all..."

He smiled for the first time since he's been here. "Sure."

So they walked in comfortable silence to the empty house next door, happy to be in each other's presence. It's been a week since anyone's inhabited the home and Clove was hesitant to break that streak. She was beginning to think she could never face her fears let alone her own home.

Her own crime scene.

Cato intertwined his fingers with hers. "C'mon Braveheart."

Only he could have renewed the courage in Clove. Her muscles eased, yet the butterflies in her stomach intensified due to Cato holding her hand. It must be the adrenaline rush, she thought to herself, trying to stir up a reasonable excuse but coming up empty. There's no denying this boy is special to her.

The feelings were mutual for Cato.

He didn't know how to act upon his desire for Clove which frustrated him. Cato always was smooth with the ladies. So why can't he handle this girl? But he already knew the answer to that one. It's because he actually cares for her and wants to be there for her. She is someone he could connect to unlike the other girls. He knew one thing for certain; he wasn't okay with the friend zone.

He knew what he had to do to break out of that relationship.

* * *

They sat on the edge of the pier in Clove's backyard and stared at the waves crashing in the distance. It was a full moon which heightened the glowing effect on the water and the beauty of their surroundings. Cato could see the reef beside him and the variety of sea creatures of all sizes and shapes scuttling around the coral. No one could get tired of such a peaceful sight. It was the perfect environment to execute Cato's plan.

"Clove?"

She turned her body towards him, moving her dangling legs into a crisscross position. "Yes?"

"So we've gotten to know each other quite a lot and...I...uh just was wondering..." Cato began to stutter nervously. What was happening to him? He thought he had this, but now all of a sudden he turned into an illiterate wreck.

"Wondering about?" She encouraged him.

"If you...you know...wanted to possibly...uh-"

"Yes," Clove interrupted with a light giggle at his unusual shy behavior. "I'd love to go to the dance with you, Brooks."

His heart skipped a beat before he finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks."

"On one condition." She held up her index finger.

He held his breath, anticipating the worst. "Yes?"

"I don't know how to dance so let's just _not_ do that." Clove grimaced. "I don't want to break your foot or anything stupid like that."

Cato chuckled before withdrawing his phone from his pocket. "Don't worry Braveheart, I got you."

She quirked an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

He helped her up after his phone started playing the slow song, _Hero_. "Just follow my lead."

Cato wrapped Clove's arms around his neck and he gently held her waist as they rhythmically swayed to the music. She easily learned the movements and closed her eyes, savoring the closeness between them. Nothing could have been more perfect. They didn't know that song would hold such significance later on.

The song ended and Clove opened her eyes to peer right into Cato's. Blue clashed with dark brown sending sparks throughout each other's bodies. Clove was the first to look away, her cheeks burning from intense shyness. Now it was her turn to stutter. "Uhh, well that was..."

"Nice." He finished for her with a lopsided grin.

She smiled too. "Well, it's one o'clock. I think we should get some sleep. We have school tomorrow anyway."

Cato groaned inwardly. He had completely forgotten about that.

* * *

"Rise and shine, Brooks." Clove ripped back the covers only to have Cato pull them over him again.

"No." He mumbled groggily.

"Peeta and Kat will be here in twenty minutes! Cato!" She pulled at sheets again, but this time failed. He was too strong for her.

He lazily smiled. "C'mon Braveheart, one more day. Just the two of us again."

The idea was too tempting for Clove, but she knew she couldn't afford to waste another day at school. "Don't make me get an ice bucket."

He shot out of bed quicker than Clove thought possible. "I'm up."

* * *

"I'll take you to the office since I need to go there myself anyway." Clove said as she walked down a long hallway beside Cato. Once they reached the office, the first thing Cato saw at the front desk was bright pink. Then a lady stood up and it took all of Cato's willpower not to flinch. The woman had neon pink hair with pink eyeliner, eyelashes, lipstick...everything except for her skin which was ghostly white from excessive powder.

"Hello Clove!" The pink lady chirped in a funny accent. It was almost like a mixture of a British and east coast accent. Whatever it was it truly creeped him out and her makeup didn't help either. Haven't they've ever heard that less is better?

"Hello Effie." Clove smiled. Effie isn't bad if you manage get past the accent, makeup, and obsession to be punctual for everything.

"How is your head?"

"Much better. This is Cato Brooks, he's from California."

"Oh yes! We've talked on the phone before. How's your flu?"

"I'm healthy now." She turned her back and Cato exchanged amused glances with Clove. Effie was never the sharpest of the bunch.

"Well let me make up your schedule according to Clove's so she can show you around the school." She chirped as she typed furiously on the keyboard with her sharp pink nails. "Here you go! Have a fabulous day and may the odds be ever in your favor!"

Clove shrugged when Cato raised his eyebrows at her. "It's her catch phrase I guess." She whispered as they left the office. Clove looked at his sheet of paper. "What the hell..."

"What?" Cato asked when her grin stretched a mile wide.

"You're going to get so sick of me after this school year is over."

"Why do we have a few classes together?" He asked with a hopeful expression.

"Not just _a few_." She smirked before showing the paper and her schedule that she kept in her folder.

'_Cato Xander Brooks_

_(B24) AP Psych- Aurelius, J_

_(C1) Computer- Wiress, B_

_(P3) Algebra 2- Crane, S_

_(P12) Home Economics- Tigris, C_

_(A5) Chemistry- Templesmith, C_

_(C9) English- Del Mar, P_

_(Gym) PE- Kanoa, A'_

_'Clove Isabel Braveheart_

_(B24) AP Psych- Aurelius, J_

_(C1) Computer- Wiress, B_

_(P3) Algebra 2- Crane, S_

_(P12) Home Economics- Tigris, C_

_(A5) Chemistry- Templesmith, C_

_(C9) English- Del Mar, P_

_(Gym) PE- Kanoa, A'_

"Oh my god..." Cato reread the schedules twice, unable to believe her eyes. "We have the same schedule."

She snorted amusedly."When Effie said she would make your schedule accommodate to mine, I didn't think it would be _that_ similar."

* * *

"Ah, Clove good to see you back."

"Thanks Dr. Aurelius." She gestured toward Cato. "This is the new kid attending our school."

"Oh yes, Cato Brooks? Well, I seat students according to surnames so you will be sitting right behind Ms. Clove over there." He pointed toward the back area.

As they took their seats, Cato spotted JJ in the front row smirking at the two. He waved and she returned the motion, but her teasing look remained. Clove discreetly leaned backward to whisper to him. "Remember what I said?"

"Stick with you-which won't be hard to do- and stay away from Glimmer and her group. Don't do anything stupid and avoid fights."

She smiled sweetly. "Good boy."

* * *

Computer class was easy as well with Cato and Clove being seated next to each other again. Thresh was in this class and he was obviously the top student or in his case, the top hacker (no surprise there). He was as masterful as an FBI technical analyst only because of his parents and he made sure to put his skills to good use.

"Okay class, the rest of the period is free for today." An old man with glasses that outrageously augmented his green eyes said as he hobbled over to Cato. "Are you the new kid?"

"Yes Mr. Wiress."

He chuckled. "Call me Beetee. Most of the teachers here prefer to be called by their first names anyway. It gives a sense of ohana."

As he walked away, Cato turned to Clove. "_Ohana_?"

"It means family." She explained. "Have you ever watched _Lilo and Stitch_ before?"

"I haven't had time to watch movies when I was a kid remember? I was too busy hiding from my dad." He said casually.

Guilt ate away at her. "Sorry..."

"Clove relax." Cato smiled at her. "You're my ohana now."

But secretly, they wished they were more than even that.

* * *

As their math teacher, Seneca Crane, was scribbling the math assignment on the board, Clove decided to pop the question. She only needed to lean to her right a little because Cato was right beside her anyway. It was the only seat left open in the classroom.

"Do you mind me asking about your mother?"

He paused midway of writing down the homework. "No I don't mind, but I'd rather tell you when no one could overhear."

"How about now?" She asked quietly as they were side by side cooking pastries. Her original partner had been Gale in home economics, so that's how Cato came to be her new one. Peeta was in their class with Madge as his partner. No doubt the cousins would be getting A's for the day; they were both master chefs. Mr. Tigris- who preferred to be called Cinna- highly praised them on their work.

"How about during lunch?" Cato offered as he poured some flour into a bowl. "Since we're going to be full on pastries we don't really need to eat much during lunch. We could chill away from the others for a little bit."

They decided to hang out on the empty bleachers of the football arena. Peeta and Madge snickered at the two thinking they were sneaking away for some privacy. There was no doubt the rumors of the new lovebirds would soon spread throughout the entire school.

"So... I'm pretty sure no one can us hear now." Clove started.

"Okay," Cato took a deep breath. "Well...to tell you the truth...I don't know."

"What?"

He sighed. "I don't know what happened to my mom. My dad never said anything about her and I barely remember her myself. I'm not even sure if she's alive."

"Well this is just frustrating..." Clove rested her forehead on the palm of her hand. "I'm trying to come up with connections between us so we could possibly figure out why they targeted us, but I'm out of ideas."

"You think they could have known each other?"

"With what's going on right now..._anything_ is a possibility."

* * *

Chemistry was a drag because Clove and Cato were sitting in different lab tables this time. At least Clove had her cousin and Cato had Peeta to socialize with. Only the girls were decent with the tricky subject whereas the guys weren't as knowledgable. Cato made a mental note to himself to spend more time with Clove by having her tutor him.

"Cato," Mr. Templesmith said sternly. "Mixing bleach with vinegar would produce a highly toxic gas. Please pay attention to what your concocting."

"Oh sorry Mr. Templesmith." He said and quickly separated the two beakers.

Cato quickly scribbled down in his notebook. _'Vinegar + bleach = deadly gas.' _

He figured it could come in handy sooner or later.

* * *

"Okay class, I want you to write an essay about a family member's childhood. You cannot write about someone in the same generation as you either. I'd suggest interviewing them before writing about them. Due in a week."

Clove and Cato looked at each other sadly from right next to each other. English class was not a great start for Cato especially today. He felt like he should lie and make up a whole life story of his parents, but that wouldn't be right.

They waited until the bell rang to approach their teacher.

"Uh, Mrs. Del Mar?" Cato asked nervously.

"Oh, Cato." She laughed lightly as she sat at her desk. "You can call me Portia."

Clove decided to get it over with. "Portia, we can't do the assignment."

She leaned forward in her seat. "Why not?"

"I don't have a family beside my two cousins. I can't really write about them though." Clove said dejectedly.

"I don't have a family either." He confessed softly. "I came here on my own."

"So...you two have no relatives whatsoever?" Portia asked incredulously.

"None." The two teenagers both said.

Portia was too curious and wanted to know more about those two kids. So she gave them a new assignment: to write an essay about the other's life. That way she could make it part of curriculum as well.

"Clove?" Portia motioned her to come closer before her and Cato walked out the door. "I taught you freshmen year. I had a parent meeting with yours in the beginning of the year..."

"They died in the second semester." She answered quickly, leaving with Cato so Portia couldn't ask anything else.

* * *

For their last period, PE, Clove and Cato were in the same roll call lines, but that meant they couldn't see each other. Their teacher, Atala Kanoa seemed very cool, but a little on the stricter side. Like Effie, she was the punctuality police.

"Late again, Rhinestone..." Atala muttered with an annoyed glare. "You're failing this class already, the least you can do is come on time."

The girl she was referring to flipped her perfect blonde curls. "At least I actually bother to show up to this stupid class, Atala."

Cato thought she was very attractive until she had opened her mouth._ Do I really have to deal with this chick the rest of the year?_ He thought grudgingly to himself.

The blonde girl turned her head and finally noticed the tall male in one of the roll call lines. Flashing a gorgeous smile, she sashayed closer to him so that he could catch a whiff of her strong perfume. "Hi, are you the new guy?"

"Yeah." He didn't really want to make conversation with someone so obnoxious.

"I'm Glimmer Rhinestone." She made a seductive look and batted her eyelashes. "You're _cute_."

"And you're _taken_." Clove remarked from in front of Cato. "When you have a boyfriend, you can't be flirting with other people. That's just how things go in relationships. Not like you've ever been in a real one anyway."

"Don't be such a jealous bitch just because I stole _him_ from you." Glimmer scowled.

"_Jealous_?" Clove snorted. "Good joke. Why would I be jealous if he chooses you over me? It just shows how ridiculously stupid he is."

"No it shows he has good taste in women. Why would a boy need trash when he can have something that isn't worthless?"

"Back off Glimmer." Katniss hissed after Atala excused everyone to play on their volleyball teams.

"Mind your own business, Catpiss."

"I would say the same for you." The brunette hissed. "You don't need to try and hurt my cousin with your petty insults and harass the new boy. Go do your nails or whatever stupid crap you think will get you laid."

Glimmer scowled at her before turning toward Cato. She winked and blew him a kiss before strutting away to the bathroom to do touch ups on her makeup.

Cato grabbed Clove's arm gently. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything...you told me not to..."

She laughed. "It's fine. I'm glad you listened to me."

Then she glared at something behind Cato. He turned around and saw a tall slender brunette saunter into the gym like he was king of the world. The boy stared coolly back at Clove and then narrowed his eyes at Cato. He decided to confront him and sized him up a little. Cato already hated this guy.

"_Marvel_." Clove acknowledged coldly.

* * *

**Okay so I'm kinda greedy for reviews so I'm making a goal of reaching 80 reviews before I start writing the other story or I just start updating faster on this story. Keep up with the votes though! I will keep counting up the PM and review votes for my next story until my goal is reached. Yeah I'm asking for a lot, but I need some time to think for my next story or how to update quicker on this story. **

**But reviewing faster=reaching goal faster. So it's all on you guys :)**


	10. Chapter 10

"Clove." The boy said back calmly. Then he turned to Cato. "Who are you?"

"I'm new." Cato replied firmly, enough to deliver a subtle threat of dominance. He was not a guy anyone would want to mess with. "Cato Brooks."

"Marvel Emeralds." They shook hands roughly and their hard gazes refused to break contact as they battled to unnerve the other. Clove was worried one of them would swing a fist at the other with all the tension between them.

"Boys..." Clove warned cautiously. "We have to go play volleyball now."

Marvel and Cato both averted their attention to her at the same time. "You go ahead." The blonde said with a fake reassuring smile. "I want to get to know Marvel more."

Clove began to protest. "Uh-"

"Clo!" Katniss called from the other side of the gym. "Hurry up, you're on!"

She glanced back at the court and then at each of the boys before reluctantly making her way to the other side of the gym.

Cato turned to Marvel; his friendly smile was still there in efforts of being polite. The one thing he learned as a child was to try and make friends before enemies. "So...I'm guessing you and Clove had a thing before?"

Marvel surprisingly was still staring at Clove as Cato asked the question. "We dated for a few months, yes."

Cato didn't really like the way the brunette watched Clove gracefully move on the court. He decided to give Marvel a subtle reminder that Clove was off limits. "Aren't _you_ the one currently dating Glimmer Rhinestone?"

He flit his eyes to Cato. "Yeah. What's it to you?"

Cato shrugged. "Just wondering. You seem to still have a thing for Clove by the way you look at her."

"I could say the same for you, new kid." He retorted defensively.

"Look," Cato raised his arms in a peaceful gesture. "I'm not trying to get on your bad side. I just want to know if you are still after her. Even though you have a girlfriend already and Clove is _my_ date to the dance..."

Marvel narrowed his eyes at him. "Already trying to get in her pants, Brooks?"

Cato was offended by that comment; he would never aim for that with someone as important to him as Clove. Implying her like that was the last straw for him. "I'm not like you, Emeralds."

"Sure you're not." He sneered. "I'll remember you said that when I catch you two in bed. If you get her preggers, I will beat your sorry little ass."

"So you do care for her?"

Marvel paused and then snickered. "Why? Afraid of some competition, Brooks?"

"Cato!" Clove called from the other side, beckoning him over. "Can you be on my team?"

Cato started to walk away and turned around with a triumphant smirk. "I don't think there was a competition to begin with."

He watched the tall blonde continue toward Clove. "We'll see, Brooks, we'll see."

* * *

"What were you and Marvel talking about?" Clove asked as they entered her house.

"Nothing."

She gave him her 'don't-even-think-about-lying-to-me' face.

"You." He answered again.

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "What about me?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist. "About how so damn beautiful you are of course."

She rolled her eyes and pushed him on the couch. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

"Did I say I was joking?" He chuckled as he adjusted himself to a comfortable position on the couch.

"Like you could ever say that legitly." Clove snorted.

Cato's face suddenly grew serious. In a flash, he grabbed her and pulled her so that she was straddling his lap. Their faces were mere inches apart; a kissable distance. He was tired of all this subtle flirting; it was time for the next step. "Clove, you're beautiful, smart, and everything a guy could ever need. I am the luckiest man alive to be your date to the dance."

She blushed intensely and looked away from him. "Okay, so you're good at acting..."

She met his enchanting blue eyes again. "I meant every word I said, Clove."

The urge to just lean in and kiss him was almost overwhelming. "Every word?" She asked insecurely; no one has ever told her that before.

He leaned in a little closer. "Every. Word."

Their lips were centimeters apart an Clove's eyes fluttered shut right after Cato's. She was ready for this. Cato finally gave her the strength to let down her many barriers for a chance to love again.

Right before their lips met, Clove's phone decided to ring.

Cato groaned and fell back on the couch. _So damn close_, he thought bitterly to himself.

She smirked at him before answering. "Hey, Thresh."

"Hey Clo." He said. "Can you and Cato come over? It's important."

"Sure, be there in ten minutes."

She hung up and smiled apologetically at the annoyed boy she was currently sitting on. "Thresh wants us to come over."

"Thresh...what a major cock block." Cato groaned.

Clove laughed and they both got off the couch.

* * *

"Sorry for giving such a short heads up about this." Thresh said as he took a seat across from the two. "But I talked to my parents on the phone last night after we all went home."

"Did you tell them everything?" Clove asked incredulously.

"Kind of..." He answered cryptically with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry, Cato, but I had to."

"It's not like your parents wouldn't have known anyway." Cato brushed it off.

"Well I only did it because we need them. They can't come home, but they can still help us." Thresh reached into the backpack on the table and pulled out a large wad of cash.

"Whoa," Cato pointed at the money. "Where the hell did you get all that?"

He smirked. "It's my savings from my shops and my parents' donations."

"You don't have to do that, Thresh." Cato said.

"If we want to get justice," Thresh pulled out more stacks of cash, files, and a few guns. "Then yes, I do need to do this."

Clove leaned in closer to Cato upon seeing the weapons. "Put those guns away, please. You know I will never use a gun for as long as I live."

"Those are for Cato." Thresh explained. He got up from the couch and gestured for Clove and Cato to follow him. They went into the office and Thresh swiftly entered a code and his hand print on a wall. The door split open to reveal a long set of stairs heading down. Thresh started down and when he noticed that the two weren't following, he turned around. "C'mon guys."

"You ever been down there before?" Cato asked nervously.

She shook her head. "Nope."

Once they reached the bottom of the steps, Thresh did the exact same thing and the doors opened.

"Holy crap." Clove said as they stepped into the huge room. "This is by far the coolest basement I have ever been in."

It was a basically a gigantic arena filled with mats, dummies, and weapons of all sorts. They were separated into specific sections and Clove instantly gravitated toward her favorite one, the knife section. She gracefully picked one from the many stacked on racks and savored the smooth feeling of the handle. Cato watched her curiously; he had never watched her with a weapon before. She stationed herself in front of one of the dummies and stared at it intently. Cato blinked once and when he looked, the blade was lodged in the dummy's chest.

Note to self: never mess with Clove when there are knives around.

Thresh clapped approvingly. "Let the games begin."

* * *

Clove tried to teach Cato how to handle knives, but it was too small for him to master. He was okay with spears and archery, but it just wasn't right. Guns were his best bet. Yet, he felt guilty seeing Clove cringe whenever he pulled the trigger.

"I don't want to use a gun anymore." Cato said finally after hitting a bullseye three times in a row.

Thresh gave him a bewildered look. "What? You're doing pretty well though."

Cato walked over to Clove, who was watching from the side. He put his arm around her lovingly. "If Clove doesn't like guns, then I'm not using them."

Clove leaned her head into him and smiled. "How about a sword?"

* * *

JJ was getting nervous. Her boyfriend wasn't answering the door and she's been standing outside for five minutes. She finally pulled out her cellphone and called him.

Thresh and Cato were wrestling playfully on the mat when his phone went off. He rolled off Cato and saw that JJ was calling him. "Hey baby, what's up?"

"You doing anything right now?"

Thresh never told his girlfriend about the room because it was one of the ultimate secrets in the family. "No, just chilling on the couch at home."

"Well...did you do the homework for chemistry yet?"

"Not yet, I'm working on it now. Why?"

"Because I need help, babe. I don't get anything."

Thresh was taken aback. "You always understand everything in school though."

"Yeah, and you always told me the truth." JJ quipped. "What the hell happened to that?"

He froze. "What...what do you mean, baby?"

"Don't _'baby'_ me, Thresh." She said harshly. "I'm at your freaking house right now. You're not even on the couch."

"Uh-"

"Open the damn door right now before I kick it down."

Thresh ran out of the arena like a bullet.

"Alright," JJ stomped into the house. "What the hell were you doing?"

"Nothing babe. I was just chilling in my room. I didn't want you to think I wasn't doing my homework."

"I swear to god if there's another wahine in this house, then be prepared to drive yourself to the damn hospital."

He grabbed JJ and turned her around to face him. "Baby, stop and come with me. There's something I need to show you."

* * *

"So...you're all practicing with weapons to fight the gang..." JJ said uneasily. "Are you really going with knives against guns?"

"No, it's just for protection incase they did come for us again." Clove explained. "But that doesn't mean I don't want revenge."

"Have you talked to Kat about that?" JJ has always preferred negotiating over violence. Physical pain gets you nowhere in life, so why do it?

"No, but I'm pretty sure she would want in on this too."

"Why don't we just invite everyone here?" Thresh offered. "We're all apart of this anyway. I want all of us to be able to protect ourselves just incase."

So it was settled, the group would meet up three times a week at Thresh's house to practice their combat skills for the uncertain future ahead of them. Kat and Clove were with their usual weapons that they used in hunting, Thresh and Peeta with the gun, Cato with the sword, Madge and JJ with hand to hand combat, and Rue and Prim with a little of everything. Everyone wanted to make sure the two little ones could use anything just incase they weren't there to protect them.

* * *

Today was December 21st; the day of the school's dance. Madge invited all the girls over to her house to get ready and Thresh invited all the guys. Once the girls were all primped up they stood in the mirrors to stare in amazement at their transformation done by Madge.

Katniss was wearing a dazzling one shouldered red dress that gave off the impression she was on fire. It conformed to her curves and then fell loosely to her feet with a slit on one side to reveal her leg. _Well, Peeta will certainly love this dress_, she thought amusedly to herself.

JJ's dress was more subtle; a thick-strapped turquoise dress that stopped at her knees with a white ribbon around the waist. Her long red hair had been done in a half ponytail and curled.

Clove was still staring at the mirror after a few minutes. She was donned in a long black dress that was almost the same design as her cousin's except there were two thick straps and a waistline that had studded diamonds on it. Her hair was curled perfectly and it tumbled down her back smoothly with a white flower clipped on the right side. The makeup was minimal-just eyeliner and a hint of eyeshadow-yet she looked incredible. She couldn't even recognize herself.

"Wow Clove." Madge said from behind her. "Aren't I amazing?"

Clove laughed. "Yes you are Madge. Thank you for turning me into a nonslutty version of Glimmer."

"Anytime, Ceelo." She winked.

"Madge," Kat walked up to her. "Why aren't you getting ready yet? The dance is in two hours."

"I don't think I'm going, ladies." She sighed sadly. "Thom got sick with the flu so I don't have a date."

"You can go stag." JJ suggested.

"I think I'm going to hang out with Rue and Prim at my house instead." She said. "I don't want to ruin your fun."

"You sure?" Clove asked hesitantly. "You're the life of the party."

She laughed genuinely. "I'm positive. Oh and Clove?" She motioned for her to come closer.

"Yeah?" Clove whispered.

"Can I record Cato's reaction when he sees you?"

* * *

"Cato, relax will you?" Peeta said as Cato was nervously pacing back and forth around Thresh's room. All the boys were dressed in suits with casual shoes and their normal hair. Luckily, Thresh was around Cato's size so he only needed to borrow an old suit.

The doorbell rang and Cato ran a hand through his hair. "Here we go."

Thresh opened the door and Madge walked in first. She smiled sweetly. "Alright boys, stand in a line and close your eyes. No peeking."

The guys complied with nerves finally affecting the rest of them. Each girl stepped in front of her date and Madge told them to open their eyes with her phone in her hands. Thresh wolf whistled and rested his hands on JJ's waist. Peeta and Cato on the other hand reacted much differently. Both of their jaws dropped, their eyes widened, and they were utterly speechless. Madge managed to capture pretty decent pictures of them like that.

"Babe," Kat laughed and wrapped her arms around Peeta's neck. "Close your mouth or you'll start drooling."

He wrapped his arms around her small waist and finally smiled before pecking her on the lips. Clove stepped forward to Cato cautiously and looked up to him. "Hey."

"Uh...hi." He was still speechless. "You...you look _amazing_."

She blushed intensely. "Thanks."

"Okay you two." Madge butt in with her phone at the ready. "Smile."

Cato put an arm around her waist and Clove leaned into him. They smiled brighter than usual; both of them have never felt so complete until now. But that photo would not just be their memory of happiness.

It would also be their form of danger.

Madge stayed at Thresh's house instead to babysit Prim and Rue. The two little ones were snacking and watching television as Madge was on her Facebook account. She easily downloaded the pictures in her album and tagged each of their names with in five minutes before joining the girls on the couch. Little did she know that posting one picture of Cato and Clove would expose them to much more than her friends on her social media account.

* * *

"Hey." A gruff voice called as he clicked on an alert icon from the computer. "Look at this."

"What the hell?" Another man said as he looked at the photo of the two teenagers. "How could that have happened?"

A woman this time walked over to examine the photo. "We better tell the boss about this. We can't risk those kids finding out about us."

"You think...you think the boy will actually return to try and find his sister?"

"Or the girl to return for revenge?"

The woman straightened her pencil skirt. "I'd rather we _dispose_ of them before that ever happens. But it's the boss' choice, so we'll just have to see."

She pulled out her phone and dialed a number.

"Boss, we have a problem."

* * *

"Clove," Cato started. They were in a corner where no one could see them well. It's not like anyone would notice anyway because they were too busy dancing to the upbeat music.

"Yes?" She grinned up at him which sent butterflies in his stomach. He just loved her dazzling smile.

"So...I was just wondering if you would like to finish what Thresh interrupted last week."

Her heart skipped a beat and she nodded; the adrenaline rush of the dance intensifying the desire to kiss him. They leaned in closer only to feel an unwanted presence interrupt the moment. Glimmer.

"Hi, Cato." She giggled. "Enjoying the dance?"

"Yes." He said curtly.

The drink in her hand was threatening to tip over which led Clove to wonder what was in it. Glimmer was obviously intoxicated, warning both of them to avoid the drinks being served tonight. Clove rolled her eyes in agitation; a drunk Glimmer equals a major slutty Glimmer. She won't be able to think rationally whatsoever.

_When did she ever think rationally at all?_ Clove asked herself.

Thankfully, a slow song turned on. "C'mon Cato, let's go dance." Clove said hurriedly and pulled him away.

As they swayed to the music, they both realized it's the same song they had first danced to together.

"Well..." Clove whispered. "Talk about déjà vu."

Cato laughed. "Not that I'm complaining or anything."

When the song finally ended, Clove reached up to whisper in his ear. "We'll finish where we started later."

Her seductive voice sent shivers of pleasure and nerves down his spine.

* * *

"Madge, it's so pretty!" Prim exclaimed when Madge was finished French braiding her long golden hair.

"Yeah! Can you give us makeovers too? We want to be pretty just like you." Rue smiled brightly.

Madge laughed. "Girls, you are both beautiful just the way you are."

Then her phone rang. She looked at it and realized it was Gale Hawthorne calling her. They haven't spoken in a month, so why call now?

"Hello?"

"You know...I wouldn't blame the girls for wanting to be as sexy and gorgeous as you, Madge." Gale's smooth deep voice said.

She froze. _How could he have known that? _"Wait..."

"Would you like to open the front door please?"

She slowly approached the door and creaked it open to peek a little outside. What she saw made her heart nearly stopped right there. She shoved the door all the way open and screamed. Rue and Prim rushed to the scene and gasped as well.

There was Gale standing outside with a bouquet of roses smiling more radiant than he ever had since he left Hawaii. "Hi."

"Hi..." Madge slowly walked up to the boy. "Am I...am I _dreaming_?"

He met her halfway. "Nope, I'm actually here in the flesh."

"But how..?"

"From the day I left I've been saving up so I could see you again." Gale grabbed her hand. "I know we said this wouldn't work out, but I don't really believe we'd just quit like that."

"I didn't think so either." Madge agreed.

"Plus...I kinda wanted to...ask you something." He placed the flowers on the ground and knelt down on one knee.

Madge slapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

* * *

** Okay that was a messy chapter, but I wanted to finish a chapter on the first day of 2013! Yay new year! Maybe a new story ;) keep up with the reviews and PM's to vote. I'll be counting votes until my 80th review. Love you all**!


	11. Chapter 11

_"From the day I left I've been saving up so I could see you again." Gale grabbed her hand. "I know we said this wouldn't work out, but I don't really believe we'd just quit like that."_

_"I didn't think so either." Madge agreed._

_"Plus...I kinda wanted to..." Gale knelt down on one knee. "Ask you something..."_

_Madge slapped a hand over her mouth in shock_.

* * *

"Gale..." Madge was totally caught by surprise.

"Madge," He pulled out a simple silver ring. "It's a horrible ring-I know-but I hope you except it. It was all I could afford."

"Uh...I-" Her expression would have been amusing if it weren't for the circumstance. She's only in high school. _Why would Gale do that?_

He quickly understood her confusion. "Oh, it's not an engagement ring! It's a promise ring."

Madge visibly relaxed and relief flooded her body. "Oh my god. I thought you were freaking proposing to me."

He laughed and gave his signature lopsided grin. It was Madge's favorite smile and it sent butterflies throughout her body every time she saw him like that. "That will be put on hold for another time."

"Well I accept the promise ring indefinitely." The blonde smiled and happily watched the silver band slide easily onto her ring finger. Perfect fit.

Just like them.

"I'm still waiting for that one day..."

Madge was confused. "What day?"

He lifted her off her feet bridal style. "The day that I can put a ring on your left ring finger instead."

She shrieked in a girlish pitch. "I'm so glad you're here."

They kissed for the first time in a year.

* * *

The dance finally ended, leaving them all exhausted from the three hours of intense partying. As they walked across the school campus to the parking lot, they began to drag their feet. The girls were dying from the heels they were wearing and the guys were ready to rip off their suits from the humidity.

"Okay," JJ started leaning on Thresh. "I feel like my feet are on fire."

"It's 'cause you're so _hot_, baby." Thresh smirked. JJ giggled and kissed him on the cheek.

_Why can't I be smooth like him_? Cato thought.

"Here lemme help you." Thresh lifted JJ bridal style and she laughed.

Cato decided it was his turn. "Clove? Need a lift?"

She giggled too. "That would be nice."

He picked her up the same way and they stared at each other. Cato slowly leaned in to kiss her, but Clove put a finger to his lips. "Not now, later." He groaned, but complied.

"Hey Cato!" Thresh called with a smile. "Race you to the parking lot with your girl."

"Oh, it's on!" They all sped off, laughing merrily and yelling the whole way.

Peeta looked to his date. "Kat, did you want me to carry you too?"

She shook her head; she was always the type who preferred to do things on her own. "Nah, I can walk myself. Besides, it's easier to..."

He raised his eyebrows. "Easier to what?"

She didn't answer; she wasn't the type for words. She just put her hands where his shoulders met his neck and slammed her lips against his for a passionate kiss. After a minute, she quickly pulled away leaving Peeta breathless. "What...was _that_ for?"

Katniss nestled her head in the crook of his neck and rested her hands on his chest. Automatically, his arms went around her body lovingly, as they always had. "Just a little thank you. You're always there for me no matter what crap I put you through. And also, that was a small part of your early month anniversary gift."

"It's all worth it as long as I get to be around you, baby." He kissed her gently on the forehead. "I hope we can finish unwrapping that gift when we get home."

She laughed. She was always happier around Peeta. "Definitely, Peets. How...how long as it been?"

He intertwined both of his hands with hers. "Two years 6 months. Hopefully, we can make...hmm...50 years or more together?"

She laughed and pulled him closer with his tie for another kiss. Her phone rang, interrupting the moment. "Hello?"

"Stop making out with your boyfriend and get your butt in the car." JJ said teasingly at the other end of the line. Thresh honked the horn of his car then and the headlights nearly blinded the couple. "We drove all the way to you, Kat. You're welcome."

Once they were on their way, Clove was feeling pretty sweaty from the heat. "You guys want to go swimming at my place?"

"You have a pool?" Cato asked. "I don't remember seeing a pool in your backyard."

Everyone gave amused glances at each other before chuckling. "Typical mainland boy." Thresh laughed.

"We prefer the ocean." JJ explained with a smirk. "It's much more exciting."

* * *

"Cannonball!" Thresh and Peeta yelled at the same time and jumped off the pier. Katniss and JJ laughed before gracefully diving into the water to join them.

Clove easily slipped off her dress and shoes, leaving her in only her black bra and spandex. Cato couldn't help, but stare at her natural curves. He shook his head and undressed himself until he was only in his boxers. She couldn't help, but watch the way his toned muscles flexed whenever he moved and how attractive his six-pack was. He caught her red-handed and raised his eyebrows teasingly. "Like what you see?"

She rolled her eyes when he impulsively trailed his line of sight down her body. "My eyes are up here, Brooks."

"Mmhm..." He smirked. "I know."

She scoffed playfully. "Don't be a creep."

He moved closer. "But you like it anyway."

He leaned in to kiss her for the umpteenth time, but she smiled and moved her head to the side at the last second. Cato kissed her cheek anyway. "Why now all of a sudden do you keep trying to make all these advances on me, Brooks?"

He pulled back. "I've wanted to kiss you since I've met you, Braveheart. Give me some credit for waiting a few months at least."

"Well..." Clove started as she snaked her arms around his neck. She gently kissed under his chin and down his neck a few times at a painstakingly slow rate. Surprise and then pleasure spread throughout his body at the feeling. Suddenly, she quickly stopped and backed off. "We can continue that if you catch me before I jump!"

"You're such a tease, Braveheart!" He called as he chased after her.

Needless to say, she was much faster than him.

* * *

"I better call Madge and check on them." Clove said after they were done swimming and pulled out her phone. She waited patiently until it went to voicemail. "Hmm...that's weird."

"What?" JJ asked while drying her red hair with a towel.

"She didn't pick up..." Clove dialed again. "She always picks up her phone."

Cato suddenly got that strange feeling that something wasn't right. "Should we go to Thresh's and check on them..?"

"Let me try again. She might be in the shower or something."

No answer. They were beginning to worry that something terrible had happened to the girls. Experiencing a traumatic event such as theirs, led both Cato, Clove, and Katniss to automatically think up of the worst possible situation for Madge, Rue, and Prim.

"Okay, we should go to check on them." Clove stood up from her seat on the pier. "Just in case, yeah?"

"Yeah." Everyone agreed at the same time. They all tried to remain calm and orderly, yet their pace quickened into a tense fast walk. They hopped into Thresh's car and he sped up past the limit.

"Babe, slow down." JJ gripped his arm. "You're gonna get pulled over."

"If there's even a slight risk that the girls are in trouble, I'm not slowing down for even the police. My parents are part of the damn FBI anyway."

"You think we should call the police though?" Cato asked.

"Guys, we all need to relax." Peeta tried to calm everyone down. "We don't know for sure what really happened."

He swerved around the end of the street and stomped on the brake. The car screeched, abruptly stopping in front of Thresh's house.

"Ouch..." Clove rubbed her head. "Remind me not to hitch a ride with you ever again."

Thresh didn't respond; he stared at his house with his eyebrows furrowed in deep concentration. "Okay, I think we need to call the police now."

"Why?" Katniss asked.

"The lights are off and...I think one of my windows are smashed." Thresh unbuckled his seat belt. "I'm going to go check."

"No, baby." JJ grabbed his arm again. "Just call the police. It could be a burglar with a gun."

"That is a damn talented burglar if he was able to disable my security system..."

Katniss began to panic. "Oh shit! Prim, Rue, and Madge should be in there too!" Peeta grabbed her and whispered in her ear to calm her down.

"Clove try calling her again." Thresh ordered. "They might have gone out to the beach or something."

"At midnight?"

"Just call her, please." His voice was edged with worry.

Clove dialed and waited for a few minutes before shaking her head. "No answer."

"Okay," Thresh pulled out a pistol from a compartment in the car. "I'm going to check on the place."

JJ did not like the idea. "I'm coming with you then."

"No. I'll be right back, baby. I promise." He pecked her on the lips and hopped out the car.

"Oh my god. I should have never gone to the dance." Clove moaned with her head in her hands. "If Prim gets hurt, I will never forgive myself."

Cato soothingly rubbed his hand on her back. "Relax, Braveheart. Everything will be okay."

A few minutes of tense silence past before Thresh returned. Solemnity and pain edged his features, warning the group that it wasn't good. "It's empty, but people had broken in and ransacked the place."

"How do you know it was more than one person?" JJ asked.

"They left different sized footprints on the carpet. At least four or five different..."

"Dammit!" Cato opened the car door and stepped outside. He put his hands on his head as he paced on the lawn ferociously.

"I'll handle this." Clove got out the car and walked up to him. "What's wrong?"

He ran his hands through his hair; pain and anger was all he could feel."Annie was taken away by at least four to six people. The gang or at least part of them must have paid Thresh's house a visit. What if they took the girls?"

"Let's just hope they went out before the house was broken into."

* * *

As the police inspected the home, they surrounded the place with yellow caution tape. Since they all knew Thresh and his parents, it was an extremely serious matter. They searched everywhere through the house until a crime scene investigator discovered one small hint of something.

"Mr. Kealoha!" The woman waved him over. "There's something you should see."

Thresh walked over there and she pointed at a little stain on the floor.

Blood.

* * *

**School will start for me so I won't be able to update as often :( **

**But keep up the reviews to motivate me to write faster! **

**Btw, I'm not sure what I should write my next story on... I mean I don't mind doing another Clato story, but I don't know if it would be interesting enough since I already have one here...Feedback please! **


	12. Chapter 12

_As the police inspected the home, they surrounded the place with yellow caution tape. Since they all knew Thresh and his parents, it was an extremely serious matter. They searched everywhere through the house until a crime scene investigator discovered one small hint of something._

_"Mr. Kealoha!" The woman waved him over. "There's something you should see."_

_He walked over there and she pointed at a little stain on the floor._

_Blood._

JJ appeared and stared quietly at the small red stain. "Please tell me that's old blood."

Thresh shook his head. "Mitchell always takes out every stain possible. This one happened today."

"Whose Mitchell?" Cato asked.

"He's like my housekeeper. He helps me around the house because my parents are rarely home to clean." Thresh replied solemnly, his eyes still glued to the floor. "He's a good friend of mine."

Then Katniss saw the blood and cringed. "No..."

Peeta pulled her away to the side. "Kit Kat, we don't know anything for sure. It could just be from something else."

Clove felt angry tears threatening to slip down her cheek. How could she let this happen? How could she have been so careless? Cato pulled her in and held her tightly as she fought her sobs. She recollected herself in a few seconds and pushed away like she always did. Crying was only for the weak. Clove could not afford to be weak again; not when it cost her so much last time.

"I...I need some air." She jogged out of the house before Cato could say anything.

She sat down and leaned against a tree on the sidewalk. She picked up her phone and tried one last time to reach Madge. What she did expect was it to reach voicemail again and that's exactly what happened.

What she didn't expect was her car to drive into the street and park near a sidewalk.

Madge turned her car onto Thresh's street and the first thing she saw were police cars with their flashing lights on. The whole perimeter was crowded with crime scene investigators and officers.

"What the hell?" She said as she killed her engine and got out of the car. "Stay in the car."

Clove spotted her and sprinted like a bullet. "Oh my god. Why the hell were you not answering your phone?"

"I was driving and I was sort of busy...what is going on here?"

"Busy? You always answer your phone are you kidding me?" Clove was furious. "You had me worried sick!"

Then Gale shut the car door and walked over. Clove glanced at him and then whirled back around at him in surprise.

"Hi Clo. Did you miss me?"

Her mouth hung open for a few moments. Was she imagining things now? "Gale..? What are you doing here?"

"Visiting my best friends and my girlfriend of course." He smiled.

She jumped into his arms without hesitation. It's been so long since she's seen him it was almost overwhelming for her. "You have no idea how much we all missed you."

"I know. I've missed you all too." Gale then released her. "But what is going on here?"

"Well since Madge wasn't answering her phone, we got worried and decided to head to Thresh's house. It turns out the place had been broken into and there was a little blood on the carpet." Clove looked at Madge eagerly. "Please tell me Rue and Prim are with you."

"Yes." Madge said. "They're fine. I can explain everything."

"Please do."

"Okay, so basically I was at Thresh's place and then Gale rang the doorbell. He stayed at my house for an hour and then Gale offered that we should all go see a movie. I had to turn my phone off in the theater."

"What about the blood stain on the carpet?"

"Oh, that was Rue. She had a small nosebleed, but it stopped after a few minutes."

Clove sighed with relief. She turned to Gale and hugged him again. "Thank you."

He understood her appreciation. If he hadn't come and suggested to go see that movie, they could have all been dead. "Let's just go inside and see the others-"

"Gale!" Katniss and JJ both crashed into him. Peeta,Thresh, and Cato gave their "man hug" right after. Then Rue and Prim got out of the car and everyone hugged them too. Everyone was safe and sound; they were incredibly lucky.

"Hey Cato," Gale flit his eyes between Clove and him, noticing the closeness that they stood. "So you got the house?"

"Yeah, thanks for letting me have it. This place is great. Well...minus this..." He gestured toward the house."

Then Thresh's walkie-talkie buzzed and he pressed a button. "Yeah?"

"Thresh, I think you better come in here." A gravelly voice projected from the device.

"Coming." He pressed another button. "I need to go in the house real quick."

"We're coming with you this time." JJ said stubbornly. He smiled and intertwined his fingers with hers before nodding in agreement.

* * *

"Guys this is Darius. He is the chief police officer and a family friend of mine." Thresh introduced.

A red-headed young man-maybe mid to late twenties-smiled warmly at the group. "Hi nice to meet you all."

"So what did you want me to see?" Thresh asked.

Darius suddenly grew serious. "We found a body stuffed in your closet. We need you to see if you can ID him."

Madge gasped and Gale put a protective arm around her. "We'll take Rue and Prim back to the car real quick."

Everyone was nervous. Who could it have been? Madge and Gale returned shortly just as tense. "Madge, do you really want to be seeing this?"

"I need to get used to this. We're probably going to be seeing a lot more stuff like this anyway."

"What?" Gale was confused. "Why?"

"Long story." JJ replied. "We'll explain everything later."

Gale did not like the sound of that.

The crime scene investigators rolled out the body in a stretcher to the group. It was covered in a black body bag and it was a fairly long one so it probably ruled out any children. Darius slowly unzipped the bag and they all peered inside. It was an adult male with a single bullet to the head. He had grayish blonde hair and glazed over light green eyes. His mouth a slightly agape as well almost as if his last words never got to be said.

Not one of them cried; they were all numb from shock upon seeing someone they knew dead. Thresh was the first to look away. "That's Mitchell Greene. He was my housekeeper."

Cato felt slightly disturbed. He saw who Mitchell was dead instead of meeting him alive. "Was he killed here?"

"Most likely." Darius answered. "It seems like the suspect held him at gun point and forced him to go into the closet before killing him. Did Mitchell have any reason to be in your house?"

"Yes, sometimes he stops by from time to time to clean up or just to say hello. He had his own key to the house." Thresh said sadly. "Please take him to the M.E."

"So basically Mitchell was just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Now JJ had tears in her eyes. She was equally as close to Mitchell as Thresh had been. "I should have called him or something to not come today."

"You couldn't have possibly known this would happen." Clove consoled her. JJ merely nodded, her glum expression still clear on her face.

"First off...why now? Why would they decide to come now?" Cato asked to himself and the others. "What could have triggered a response?"

"Would they have responded if they by chance saw a photo of you two together?" Madge inquired.

Thresh brought his attention back to them. "Yes, that could have been it."

She looked to the ground guiltily. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault then."

"Why..?" Clove quirked an eyebrow.

"Because I posted some photos of us on Facebook. I'm so sorry. I didn't think about it at all."

Katniss tensed. "They're all monitoring us via social networking?"

"Yeah," Thresh sighed. "They probably broke into my house because Madge uploaded the pictures onto Facebook here. It's easily traceable."

"So they've always been watching us..." Clove didn't like the sound of that at all.

"Well I only know one thing for certain." Thresh said.

"And what is that?" Gale asked, still lost about this whole situation.

"We can't stay here. It's no longer safe for us in our homes."

* * *

**So that's my final update before school starts :( When that happens, I probably could only update every other week or so. I'll try my best to update ASAP so in the meantime, keep up the reviews. My dream is to make it to 100 or so reviews :) Keep up the feedback on what I should do for my next story! Love you all!**


	13. Chapter 13

_"Well I only know one thing for certain." Thresh said. _

_"And what is that?" Gale asked, still lost about this whole situation. _

_"We can't stay. It's no longer safe for us in our homes." _

No one knew what else to say; they were still mulling over the fact they were in grave danger. A home is a place where someone should feel secure and safe. That's what the common phrase "home sweet home" referred to. When that is all taken away, it's not even considered a home anymore. It's just a place that one could eat or sleep in and not be in the homeless category. However, based on the circumstances the group was technically homeless now. Knowing that they would do better on the streets than in their own warm cozy abodes really disturbed them.

"So you're saying that we can't be with our families anymore?" Madge asked incredulously. Out of the group, only her and Peeta had their whole set of a normal family. Though Peeta's parents and Madge's father were always busy at work all day and Madge's mother was bed ridden with a brain tumor, they still had parents who were around.

They still had other family members to worry about.

"Madge, I can guarantee your parents will be safe." Thresh assured. "You are the Mayor's daughter anyway. And Peeta, I'll put your parents under protection. My parents can send people to watch over your family."

Thresh turned to JJ, but she shook her head sharply. "Don't even _consider_ protecting my jackass of a fadda." {Fadda= Father}

"JJ, don't forget about your baby sistah and braddah." Thresh said patiently. She had every right to be hateful towards her violent father. Her scars and emotional wounds were there to prove the years of torture she had endured.

But she was already steaming with fury. "They aren't even my real siblings! He just got some desperate wahine knocked up who couldn't even know left from right. He dumped them on me like they were trash and I was their freaking trash bin." {wahine=woman}

"That's not true." He held her firmly by the shoulders. "You love Leilani and Cayden as if they were your own."

JJ finally calmed down enough to think straight. She sighed in defeat and looked at the ground in shame. "Then the twins have to come with us. Who knows what Fadda will do to them when he gets drunk?"

Thresh pondered for a bit; toddlers are a major liability for the group. It would be twice as hard to care for them while trying to hide from danger. But finally he nodded his head in agreement because no one should leave the innocent kids with someone so horrible.

* * *

So Thresh explained to Darius about the need to stay elsewhere and that they would all return later. Darius was suspicious, but it was a sensible choice. He agreed to tell their school of the situation and helped them pack up belongings in Thresh's house before sending them on their way. JJ's house was first.

Thresh pulled up to a small building of apartments in a less than friendly looking downtown area. "You want me to go with you, babe?"

She shook her head dejectedly. "What's the point? You know I'm going to get a few bruises regardless if you're there or not."

"I'll kill him if he lays another hand on you." He said sincerely. "We're leaving now. You don't have to deal with his bullshit anymore."

"I do if I want the twins unharmed. I would prefer you don't go because I know you'll kill him."

"I'll go with her."

Everyone turned to look at Cato. He shrugged. "I know what it's like to have a father like that, so I can understand why you would want to go alone. But JJ...you have to know that you'll get hurt. Let me go with you."

Thresh raised his eyebrows. "And how does that make it any better than her boyfriend going with her?"

"Because I know how abusive fathers are and how some of them think. I can try and get the twins without anyone getting hurt."

Thresh was skeptical. He had tried before to protect JJ, but failed miserably. She would usually come to his house with cuts and bruises on her body and it killed him to see her like that. But what choice did they have? "Alright, Brooks." He reached into one of the compartments and pulled out two pocket knives. "Use these if he hurts her. Guns would attract too much attention."

* * *

"JJ, I need to ask you a few questions before we meet your dad." Cato said as he stepped out of the car with her. He slipped the weapons into his jeans pocket. "Is your father a drug addict? A smoker or drinker?"

"Just a very heavy drinker."

_Like mine_, he thought bitterly. "Does he get involved with prostitutes or any kinds of human trafficking rings often?"

She glared at the ground. "That's how the twins were born. He doesn't even want them."

"That piece of information is key." Cato explained. "You're going to have to role play with me."

"How?"

"Long story short, your father only sees women as tools for pleasure and servants. He hates Thresh because he treats you well."

"So...if I had a new boyfriend who treated me like how Fadda treats all women, he would actually respect him..."

Cato nodded. "Looks like we're on the same page."

* * *

Cato and JJ reached her apartment and she rang the doorbell.

"If you don't got a warrant, then get the hell away." A guttural voice snarled viciously on the other side.

"Fadda..." JJ called nervously. "It's me, JJ. There's someone here who wanted to meet you."

Cato wrapped his arm around JJ's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze before the door opened. A medium sized man with unkempt brown hair and harsh blue eyes appeared behind the screen door. He was in dire need of a shower and a shave which brought feelings of pure disgust within Cato. That man was like a twin version of his own father. The only problem was that this time he was sober and if he's sober, then who knows how witty he could be. He did give birth to JJ the genius anyway. Even Cato's own father was extremely cunning; it's just his other bad habits undermined that decent aspect of him.

The man had to glare up at Cato. He didn't miss the arm around his daughter's shoulder. "Who the hell are you?"

"Cato Brooks. And JJ, your daughter, is my new girl." He replied smoothly.

JJ noticed how he said that instead of just saying _" I'm her boyfriend_." He was making it seem like she was his only; that she didn't have equal possession over him at all. And I thought Cato was always distracted by Clove in psychology class, she thought amusedly to herself while keeping a solemn face.

"What happened to the other pretty boy?" He asked as he studied Cato.

"Thresh..."

"I kicked his sorry ass outta her life. She didn't deserve to be treated like such a spoiled brat." Cato interrupted with a fake smirk. Deep inside he wanted to flinch for voicing those words.

To JJ's surprise, her usually angry father smirked back coldly. She would rather have seen him violent toward her than look like that. "Finally, someone understands how things should be run around here."

Cato wanted to barf; he's worse than his own father ever was. He managed to remain composed and continue his role play. "I was just wondering if we could get to know each other better since your daughter is mine now. You look tired anyway, you should sit down and have some beers."

The man was exhausted and could use his daily dose of alcohol. "Yeah, come on in."

Once Cato walked in he turned and glared at JJ. "Be useful for once and go grab your dad two nice cold beers."

Mr. Akamai laughed cruelly. "Make it three and bring our guest one too."

JJ nodded obediently with wide frightened eyes before scurrying into the kitchen.

* * *

"Okay that's it I'm going in." Thresh unbuckled his seatbelt.

"No." Clove leaned forward from the backseat to grab his shoulder. "It's only been five minutes."

"Anything could happen in five minutes, Clo!"

"You have to trust in JJ and Cato." Peeta said with his persuasive voice. Thresh sighed dejectedly and tightened the grip around the wheel.

"You don't know him at all, guys." Thresh said quietly. "That man is a monster."

But the one thing Thresh can give him credit for is that he's the reason Thresh and JJ had met a few years back.

_He was walking around town-he couldn't drive yet-when he decided to relax on the beach for a little bit. It was almost sunset so who wouldn't mind viewing it on a beach? He laid down on the warm sand with his arms stretched behind his head, content and comfort was all he could feel. _

_Until he opened his eyes and turned his head to the side. _

_A girl with red hair was stumbling along the shore as if she were drunk. Thresh just thought it was some foolish teenager who had too much to drink at a party, but that wasn't the case. The girl's hair was red, but he could still distinguish the blood dripping down the sides of her face and down her mouth and nose. She wobbled a few steps, weak from blood loss and then fell lifelessly onto the sand. Thresh was by her side in an instant. She was in horrible shape and moaning in pain, so he lifted her all the way to the hospital. _

_"What is the patient's name?" The nurse asked. _

_"I don't know." _

_"Do you know what happened?" _

_"No...I just found her like this. Please, help her." _

_"We will do the best we can, sir. Just sit down and wait until we give you permission to see her." _

_Thresh had been in the waiting room for an hour already. He called Mitchell to babysit Rue for the time being because who knows how long he would have to stay. _

_Why haven't the parents come to the hospital to find their missing daughter? Thresh thought. _

_"Mr. Kealoha?" The nurse beckoned him into her room. "She is awake now." _

_Thresh walked into the room and immediately felt more appreciative of the fact he decided to go the beach today. _

_With the blood cleaned off her face, the girl was a natural beauty. She had a black eye, but Thresh could spot the gentle green eyes covered by her long eyelashes. Her hair was in soft waves, falling down the middle of her back. It wasn't the color of blood; it was more like the color of a beautiful sunset. She was sitting up with her legs up to her chest and her arms hugging them close. Her attention was focused out the window and she wasn't crying or responsive for that matter. _

_Thresh sat in a chair by her side. "How are you feeling?" _

_She slowly turned her head and studied him like she did to everyone she first met. "Who are you?" _

_"I'm Thresh, the one who brought you here." _

_"Thank you, Thresh." _

_He wanted to implore further. "Can you tell me what happened?" _

_JJ knew she could trust him-she read in his eyes-and she couldn't help but feel attracted to her handsome hero. "I didn't get the babies to stop crying in time." _

_"What...you mean your parents hit you for that?" _

_"My dad." _

_Thresh suddenly felt furious for the injustice. "Why don't you leave him? Or call the cops?" _

_"Because I'll be leaving my baby siblings. Don't call the cops, please. I can't bear to lose them." She pleaded desperately. _

_He didn't like it, but he wouldn't want to go against her wishes. "Okay I promise...but...if you need a place to stay..." _

_She smiled warmly. "I wouldn't mind staying at your place every now and then." _

_Cato you better keep my girl safe_, Thresh thought to himself.

* * *

"So Cato, my boy," Mr. Akamai slurred. He belched after finishing his third beer; the alcohol beginning to overcome his rationality. "What brings you here?"

"Well, JJ has told me all about you, so I thought I could see you in the flesh." He lied smoothly. He turned to JJ who had been obediently standing by Cato's side like a loyal dog. "Go fetch your father some more beers."

She nodded and scurried into the kitchen again. In a few seconds she produced two beers and opened one for her father before joining Cato. Then, a small whimper was heard in the neighboring room. "I got it." JJ rushed to care for her siblings.

Cato pretended to be interested and faced Mr. Akamai. "You have more kids?"

He gulped down half his beer. "Yeah, useless 3 year old twins who can't do anything except cry and shit their pants."

_Good_, Cato thought to himself. "You know...I have my connections for getting rid of the babies and also getting you money at the same time."

JJ's father lit up considerably; he knew what Cato was hinting at. "I wouldn't mind selling the brats at all. They've been such a nuisance."

Cato nodded as if he could understand Mr. Akamai's agitation. "Yeah, I get you. How about we make the deal now? The sales have been quite high for the one to three year olds these past few weeks. You could earn at least a thousand if you turn in the set. A thousand can get you plenty of beers."

He laughed coldly before giving Cato a wicked smile. "I like the sound of that. Can I dump them now?"

"Sure." Cato tried to say calmly. "I'll make JJ take care of them for the time being. Your money will be sent to you in a month. Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Akamai."

He held out his grimy hand and flashed another creepy smile. "Call me _Brutus_."

They shook hands and Cato yelled for JJ. "Girl, get your ass over here now."

She raced to her "boyfriend". "Yes, sir?"

"Pack up whatever you need for the brats." Cato waved her off.

She managed to conceal the grin underneath her emotionless mask. "What for?"

Cato looked livid. "Don't ask me questions, bitch! Do as I say now!"

JJ put on a frightened face and sprinted to her siblings' room. She packed their most important belongings and Cato grabbed the heavy stuff before they sped walk out of the house. Clove held Leilani in her lap and Cato held Cayden in his.

"Thank you." JJ kissed Cato on the cheek in a friendly gesture. "I owe you one."

Cato smiled back and wrapped an arm around Clove. "Anytime, cuz."

Cayden gurgled playfully and held onto Cato's finger. Clove's heart nearly skipped a beat at the sign of affection the kids gave Cato and wondered if maybe they too could have a family of their own someday. _Don't be stupid_, Clove chided in her mind. _We're just kids ourselves_.

_Plus we need to figure out how we're going to stay safe for the time being. _

* * *

** Sorry school is literally killing me. How to balance grades while doing two sports at the same time...I have no idea. Sorry for the rushed chapter, but I wanted to add in some characters from my first story since no one bothered to read it...even though I spent 29 chapters on it.**

**I'll try to update ASAP! Remember more reviews = quicker updates and pretty soon my new story! I want to reach 100 reviews by the time I finish this story please! **


	14. Chapter 14

"Last stop, Madge's place."

Cato stuck his head out the window to see the house. "Holy shit."

It was a beautiful mansion with a silver fountain and well trimmed lawns and bushes complemented by a plethora of flowers. Everything about the place appeared to sparkle with cleanliness and just plain wealthiness. It was basically Cato's definition of heaven.

"You live here?" He asked incredulously.

"No, it's just for decoration." JJ quipped. He stuck his tongue out at her before resuming his play with Cayden.

Madge and the gang hopped out of the car so that everyone could get out in the back. "I think I can do this alone."

"Good luck with that." Gale joked and wrapped an arm around her waist. "I haven't seen you in a year, so I'm probably going to never let you out of my sight for another month or so."

She rolled her eyes, but still giggled and kissed him on the cheek. "Fine."

They walked hand in hand to the golden gate. Madge pressed a button on the side which produced a buzzing noise and then a female voice. "Who is it?"

"Hey cuz, it's me, Madge."

"Oh! Come on in."

The gate slowly opened to let them inside. Before they even reached the door, a flash of blonde flew and tackled Gale. "Gale! I can't believe you're back! We've all missed you so much!"

"Delly," Madge laughed. "Let him go you're going to damage my boyfriend."

She let go and crushed Madge in a fierce hug too. It was almost noon, which means the group had been awake all night and Madge hadn't gone home.

Which means her parents would kill her...if they even noticed she was gone.

"Where the hell have you been, cuz?" Delly demanded, remembering why she was so thrilled to see them. "I came to visit you last night and you never came home. I thought you got kidnapped or something."

Madge and Gale glanced at each other. "Uh...that was a close guess." He said.

Delly raised her eyebrow. "What? What is going on? Tell me!"

Madge shushed her cousin frantically. They had to leave soon and find a safe spot to stay. "We'll explain everything, but I can't stay for long."

Delly crinkled her nose which was splashed with freckles. She always did that when she was dissatisfied. "I want to know every detail, cuz."

So Madge quickly summarized the past few months; the new boy from California, the recent connections they had made, and then the home invasion last night. Delly's eyes widened in shock. "Are you all okay though?"

"Yes...for now." Peeta replied. He had come out of the car to greet Delly too. After all, the three were family. "But we only came to grab some things and to ask you for a big favor."

Delly loved her cousins like they were her older brother and sister. She-being barely twelve-was too young to understand some of the matters at hand. Madge had made certain to leave out some gruesome details here and there to lessen the panic for Delly. "Anything to help you guys I'll do it."

"We need you to visit my house more frequent than ever before. On a daily basis would be good." Madge started.

"Why?"

"Because you have to keep my mom company so she doesn't call for me when she's lonely and also distract my father if he ever comes home. Make excuses, lie, or do anything to ensure they don't suspect we're gone."

"Can I still communicate with you guys..?" Delly asked.

Madge bit her lip and shrugged. "I don't know, cuz...I don't know."

* * *

As Peeta and Gale packed important valuables and started bringing some to the car, Madge decided she must at least see her mother. You know, in case she never returns or anything like that. She let her fingers glide across her piano and sighed wistfully. _Goodbye baby_, she said in her head._ I hope I'll be able to play you again._

She dashed up the stairs because she knew she could only spend a few minutes. "Mommy?" Madge gently pushed the intricately designed wooden door open and peeked inside. Her mother was awake this time and was in a upright sitting position in her bed. Actually, it wasn't a bed; it was a form of prison confinement since her mother could never leave. Most of the time she would be too weak to pull back the covers anyway.

Most of the time her mother wouldn't even be conscious.

"Hey honey." Her smile was soft and gentle like her voice. "How did you and Delly sleep last night?"

Madge cringed on the inside. She hated lying to her sweet mother. "Just fine. Gale came to visit so do you mind if I stayed where he is for most of the days until he leaves? I haven't seen him for a year and-"

"Honey," She interrupted with a light laugh. "Go ahead. I don't want you to stay in this house and be a couch potato all day anyway. Make sure to take Delly with you sometimes. Her parents went on a business trip for awhile so she'll be here for maybe the rest of the year."

Guilt gripped Madge. She wouldn't be taking Delly anywhere anytime soon to keep her safe. She did consider the option of leaving Prim and Rue here too, but that would be asking too much of Delly to take care of her mother and two kids. "That's great! More time with Delly!"

Her mom, though weakened by months of pain and morphine, could sense the halfhearted tone in her daughter's voice. "Is something wrong Madge?"

"No." She replied rather too quickly. "I just...love you so much and I wish you were healthy again."

They hugged and Madge fought back tears. What if this would be the last time they saw each other?

Mrs. Undersee was still cognizant something was off; her motherly instincts never ceased. But she told herself that Madge would tell her when she was ready. "I love you too."

Madge quickly scurried to her room to grab some valuables, tears threatening to spill. She scanned the room for anything she could take with her. She couldn't bring all her books, her piano, or her beautiful dresses, so she settled for the next best thing.

* * *

"You ready?" Gale asked Madge. They had collected enough money that wouldn't be missed, but enough to sustain the group for quite some time. The perks of being the mayor's daughter.

She pulled out a small golden pin with a bird in the center. Her mother had told her stories about the creature in her early childhood. They called it a mockingjay and it was a majestic bird that people had used to send messages of all kinds; love letters, greetings, etc. The mockingjays' special abilities were to listen to sounds and repeat them right to the pitch or tone. People began to destroy the species, however, when they realized they could be utilized for spying purposes as well. The mockingjays are believed to be extinct, but their pins, toys, and other merchandise created from when they were popular represented them forever.

It was a symbol of rebellion for the greater good; to fight for what you believe in. Her mother had told her that it was once her sister's pin, but she had passed away before Madge was born. She never got to know her aunt, yet everyone has commented at least once that she looked exactly like her.

"That's all you're bringing?" Peeta asked incredulously.

"Yup."

* * *

Cayden giggled loudly as Cato moved him up and down with his legs. Clove laughed at the little boy's jiggling baby cheeks and how cute Cato is when he entertains children. She was playing with Leilani's chubby fingers, leaning her head against Cato's shoulder contentedly.

"You should get some sleep." Cato whispered gently into her ear. "You haven't slept for a whole day."

"You haven't either." She replied groggily. It was difficult to even keep her eyes open.

"Someone should stay awake and keep Thresh company." He gestured his head toward the front seat where Thresh was focusing on the road. Everyone else was already asleep.

"Nah, man." Gale was awake in the back. "I can stay up. I slept on the plane ride here."

Cato smiled gratefully. "Thanks."

"It's the least I can do. You protected my girls and all."

Clove turned around and winked, knowing who he was referring to. "Night, Hawthorne."

"Actually, it's the afternoon." He retorted with a smirk.

* * *

Katniss and Clove were the first to wake up besides Thresh and Gale. They were incredibly light sleepers; the perks of being sharp hunters and paranoid teenagers. Paranoid and teenager are two seemingly paradoxical terms when put together, but not for two girls who had suffered so much in the past year.

"Is everything alright?" Katniss asked. JJ and Cato began to stir while Peeta and Madge and the little ones were still sound asleep.

"I'm sorry." Thresh sighed tiredly. "I just need a little break."

"I can drive if you want." Gale offered. However, dark circles have already formed around his smoky grey eyes.

"Gale," Katniss chided. "You're exhausted too. We all are. Lets just stop somewhere."

"Where? Where could we go?" JJ asked. "We can't go to Thresh's place or any of our places for that matter."

No one could think of anything...until a crazy idea popped into Clove's mind.

"There's one place that could hold all of us and keep us safe."

Cato yawned. "And where would that be?"

"You're not going to like this but...we have to go to Marvel's house."

* * *

**Sorry for the late update I had finals :( I failed them all. Too depressed. Reviews will definitely cheer me up!**


	15. Chapter 15

"_Excuse me_?" JJ, unusually, was taken aback. "Did you just say we have to go to Marvel's house?"

"His house is big enough for all of us including the little ones." Clove defended.

"I'd rather live in the damn car than that bastard's place." Thresh scowled.

"He's a black belt in mixed martial arts too and has a high security system installed in his home..."

"We are _all_ basically black belts remember?" Thresh countered. "All of those months of training makes us pretty equal to that."

"Not the little ones."

"Why would Marvel even want to help us anyway?" Cato was not agreeing with this at all.

"He will."

"No, correction, he will only want to help _you_." Cato growled. "I've seen the way he looks at you."

"Clove, this isn't a good idea." Gale added.

"Do we even have a choice?" Clove muttered. Everyone went silent; she had a point. She then pulled out her cellphone and dialed for the one guy she thought she would never call.

"_Clove_?" His voice was just as surprised as she was.

"Hi Marvel." She said awkwardly. "Listen...I know we're not on the best of terms currently but...we need help."

"Help for what?"

She needed to cut to the chase. "We need a big place to stay safe and yours was the only one I could really think of."

"You need to stay safe? From what?"

"Long story, but it's really urgent. Will you let us stay in your basement at least? Just for one night?" She pleaded for the sake of her family and friends.

There was silence on the other end. Clove had almost lost all hope until he responded. "You guys owe me big time."

* * *

"Well...this was more people than I expected." Marvel said a little annoyed. "Come in."

"Thank you." Thresh replied politely, but with a hard tone. Just because this boy is doing them a big favor, it doesn't mean Thresh will forgive him for what he's done.

"I'm sure you didn't agree to this." Marvel sneered.

"You got that right, Emeralds." Cato cut in. "It was only Clove wanting to do this."

Marvel smirked, but on the inside he lit up. Clove wanted to come to his house and ask for help. Now she's closer to him and therefore easier to get. "You can have any room you want in the house on this floor or the third floor. Those are all guest rooms or bathrooms."

They all said their thank you's and headed to the rooms to check them out. Prim and Rue immediately raced up the stairs to share a room. It was just like a slumber party to the girls. Peeta and Katniss followed the mischievous girls to keep an eye on them and Thresh, JJ, and the twins went up there as well. Madge and Gale thought they might as well follow the rest too.

That just left Clove, Cato, and Marvel.

"Okay I'll take first watch then." Clove said to break the awkward tension in the room.

"I'll stay with you." Marvel offered.

Without thinking Cato moved closer to Marvel. "No."

"No?" Marvel quirked an eyebrow.

"Don't you need to sleep?" Cato covered for himself. "After all, we're the ones who are intruding your house. The least we can do is let you sleep."

He smirked and threw Cato a pillow. "I'm an insomniac, Brooks."

"Oh..."

"I'll wake you in a few hours, Cato." Clove said reassuringly.

Cato eyed Marvel, sending him a silent death threat. _If you touch her, I will kick your sorry ass._

* * *

Clove sat near the fireplace watching Cato sleeping peacefully on the couch. He didn't want to leave her and Marvel alone, so he decided to stay in the living room with them. Typical Cato. Not that she minded anyway; she loved his overprotective behavior sometimes. It gave her a sense of security which is something she had lacked all last year.

Marvel came into the room and carefully handed Clove a mug of coffee. "It's to help you for the night. You look like you haven't slept for years. I thought I was supposed to be the insomniac."

She sipped the caffeinated beverage little by little. "Thanks. I basically haven't slept normally since last year..."

Marvel knew exactly what she was referring to. After the tragedy, she had lost that lively spark about her. It was one of the many qualities he used to love and it was all gone within the period of one night. He remembered how he felt as if a cold hand had clamped down on his heart and crushed it to pieces when he heard the news. Guilt flooded his mind because he just broke up with Clove merely weeks before. And, might he add, it was so that he could date another girl. That didn't ease his conscious at all and he never forgave himself for leaving her in that state. What could he have done anyway? She hated his guts the moment he kissed Glimmer Rhinestone.

"I'm sorry," Marvel said sincerely. "For what happened."

Clove was taken aback. It had been so long since he was this genuine about apologies...or his personality to be honest. She knew the real Marvel; the stubborn, but kind and sweet brunette who could hunt just as well as the girls and Gale. Ever since Glimmer came into the picture, he had changed. He no longer smiled happily, but rather he smirked arrogantly or had a seemingly permanent scowl on his face for everyone he encountered. His actions and words were cold and usually self centered, which differed from his once warm aura. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but she really missed the old Marvel.

"It's fine."

Marvel put down his cup of water, his expression hard and slightly aggravated. "Well, none of _this_ is fine. Half your family got wiped out and now all your friends are in deep shit for the same reasons."

"Have you ever heard of the term optimism?" Clove retorted equally as cold. "And we're safe for now thanks to you."

"I'm just stating reality, Clo. Stay here as long as you need, but your safety will decrease with each passing day."

She stiffened before muttering, "You haven't called me that for awhile..."

"Well...I just figured we could give it a try again. It's been so long since we've legitly talked."

Clove considered it, but with him being the very generous host for her friends and family she didn't really need to think. "Yeah, you're right."

"So..._Clo_...what is it with you and Brooks?"

She blushed. "We're like...friends?" It came out more like a question than a statement.

He smirked, but deep inside felt a twang of jealously. "Sure Clo, because people who are just friends totally want to make out with each other."

She blushed even harder. "Okay maybe a little bit more. I don't know."

"He hasn't asked you to be his girlfriend yet?" Marvel asked, a little bit too hopeful in his tone.

"Nope."

"And it's been like four months or so? What an idiot." He chuckled.

Little did they know that Cato wasn't really sleeping as soundly as they had presumed. _Screw you, Emeralds_. He growled to himself.

* * *

"Cato?" Clove gently woke him awake.

He groaned, cursing himself for falling asleep. "What time is it?"

"Six in the morning."

He sat up quickly with worry. "You stayed up for seven hours?"

"Marvel gave me some coffee to perk me up." Clove yawned.

"He didn't...try anything on you right?"

She quirked her eyebrow and smirked. "Someone is a little bit edgy."

"I...I'm just...uh-"

"Cato...are you by chance _jealous_ of me and Marvel?"

"Very."

She was surprised by his honesty. "Oh...well there's nothing going on. I like someone else if you haven't noticed."

He didn't want to be humiliated by asking if it was him she liked. "Is it..."

"Cato...it's you. I really like you. In fact, since the first day we met I've liked you." Clove felt relieved to blurt out her feelings. Not everyday does she do that.

He smiled, finally reassured after all these months of flirting and subtle hints. "Well...I know we're not in the best of situations..."

"You got that right." She smiled reassuringly, giving Cato the strength to do what he's wanted to do for awhile.

"But I just wanted to ask if you would like to be my girlfriend."

Clove was jumping with joy on the inside. A bright smile lit up her usually emotionless facade which sent butterflies throughout him. They both had such an effect on each other it was indescribable. "I've been waiting for you to ask that for months."

He grinned wider than ever before. _Finally_, they both said in their head. Cato slowly moved in, trying for the umpteenth time to kiss her. She leaned in too and her eyes fluttered shut.

Of course, someone barges through the door.

JJ and Thresh, each holding one of the twins, speed walk in unaware that they ruined the moment. Clove and Cato may have glared at them for that, but they noticed the tired, but serious expressions on their faces. Thresh put Cayden on the floor and JJ did the same with Leilani to let them play. Everyone watched them stumble and giggle happily for a few moments before Thresh spoke. "We need to start detaching ourselves from the outside."

"What?" Clove asked.

"Those guys can track us down easily through credit cards, social networks, and other stuff you see in those spy movies or whatever."

Cato was starting to get more annoyed than afraid. "Are they really that damn resourceful?"

"Yeah, I found out that Madge had posted a photo of you and Cato on Facebook. That's how they discovered you two met and where I live."

"We'll all go and delete our facebooks, instagrams, and twitter then." Cato suggested.

"Yes, and we have to dispose of our phones too." Thresh added.

Madge and Gale walked in before Thresh had said that. "What?" Madge was stressing out. How would she be able to communicate with her cousin?

"They can track us down by phone calls and messaging, Madge. We have no choice."

"We can't just leave our phones here, though. We'll just lead them straight to Marvel's house." JJ said, surprising herself in the process_. Since when did I ever care about Marvel? He practically destroyed Clove after the...incident. _

"We'll leave them at school." Thresh decided.

"Won't they massacre the school then?" Madge asked nervously.

"They wouldn't do something as stupid as that." Thresh waved that notion aside. "No one really is aware of their existence other than those affected by them or those in the system."

Everyone fell into a deep silence again as they watched the toddlers roam the room. All of them thinking about what their futures would hold for each other and how they would pull through it. They were all only certain of one thing.

No one would be the same after this-physically or mentally.

* * *

** Sorry really rushed chapter but school and my double sport life is killing me. So instead of long chapters I'm converting to shorter but more updates. Oh and I want over 125 reviews before I start my next story so keep it up!**


	16. Chapter 16

Katniss was tired, plagued with a year long fatigue. She's never slept well since that horrible night. How could she? Every time she closed her eyes, all she would see were blood, death, and guns. Acts of violence and crime that took away almost everything from her. Luckily, Katniss was a fighter; an extremely defiant one at that. When she was sane, her friends and family could almost see the fire in her fierce grey eyes. She was an independent, almost feisty young woman back then.

Look what one form of cruelty can do overnight to her?

She's grateful to have her little Prim and her cousin and everyone else with her today. Without them, nothing would be left. She could have easily taken her life right then and there.

But she didn't.

"And I never will," she muttered to herself as she pulled back the string of her bow. Marvel had his own little arena in his basement for his combat training as well, so Katniss used it to her advantage for extra practice. Even though she never needed it. "I still have one more job to do."

She released bow after bow-even two at a time-until she was empty and each dummy was struck in every fatal mark possible.

"You've gotten much better since the last time I've gone hunting with you." Marvel said from door.

She turned to face him, her eyes smoldering with a long term hatred. "Thanks." She replied curtly before going to retreat all the arrows. She was not in the mood to speak to him, regardless if he helped them out for a night or not.

"Do you and Clove still go hunting?"

"Only when we need to."

"I see." He said slowly. "Well-"

"Listen Marvel," Katniss cut him off. "I'm very thankful you're keeping us safe for now, but it doesn't give you instant forgiveness for what you did."

"I know. I'm trying to redeem myself, but it's not working." Marvel replied patiently. "Clove believes me."

"Because that's how Clove is to people she loves-or _loved_, to be more accurate."

"And you?"

"I'm much more of a grudge holder." She said coldly before resuming her attention back to her targets. "And I want to be able to have Clove's back when the time comes. You will just run away like you always do."

Before she could fire, a streak of black whizzed past her ear and embedded into the heart of the dummy in front. She whirled around to see Marvel with an emotionless mask and a spear in his other hand. "Underestimating someone can get you killed in this world, Katniss."

Katniss glared for a few long seconds before hanging up her bow and storming out of the basement.

* * *

Glimmer Rhinestone was beginning to feel annoyed. _Where the hell is Marvel_?

They always met behind the gym quad for their daily make out sessions. It was their only highlight of the relationship. Everything else was just dissatisfaction for Glimmer. He may be a decent kisser, but she knew he still had eyes for Clove Braveheart. What he sees in that loser, she will never understand. In fact why do all attractive boys fall for ugly girls like Clove and not her? She was the definition of sexual desire.

Glimmer slipped out her bedazzled phone and dialed for his number with her recently manicured nails.

"Hello?" Marcel's voice rang clear.

"Where the hell are you?" She demanded with her nasally tone. Whenever she was ticked off her voice managed to go a few octaves higher until she got what she wanted. "I've been waiting for you in our spot for almost five minutes!"

"Oh, yeah." He said, just remembering he had forgotten about his own girlfriend. "Sorry, but I'm sick. Maybe tomorrow, babe."

She slanted her eyes in suspicion. Many people are under the false pretext that she was just a dumb blonde, but looks can be very deceiving. Behind the beautiful exterior, lay a vengeful and sinister mind. One wrong move could land anyone on her bad side and no one would escape her fury unscathed. Her hateful motived manipulation and actions could affect the victim emotionally or physically for life.

She remembered a while back a blonde girl with dull brown eyes and an upturned nose splashed with freckles named Lily Jane. She always annoyed Glimmer with her existence and her less attractive face influenced Glimmer to nickname her "Plain Jane". Lily was a foolish child and fighting fire with fire, she spread around the name "Dim Glim." That crossed the line in Glimmer's eyes, so she hit her back with triple the viciousness resulting in Lily attempting suicide and then her moving to the mainland.

The memory brought a wicked smirk to her gorgeous face. No one messes with Glimmer Rhinestone, _no one_. Her boyfriend would be no exception to this, and if she finds out he's not sick, Marvel is in for some deep shit.

But first things first, she wanted to fulfill her needs for the day.

"Hey you." She pointed her slender finger at a tall, tan boy who appeared like he was heading for football practice by the looks of his sports bag.

He looked around before gesturing towards himself. "Me?"

She rolls her eyes._ Men can be so stupid, but I can't live without them_. "Yes. Come over here."

He cautiously advanced toward the beautiful teenager and she flashed him an alluring smile. "What's your name?"

The boy blinked; he was a little on the slower side. "Uh-"

"Never mind." Glimmer snapped impatiently. "Tell me, would you rather go to boring football or get some of this?" She unbuttoned her pink shirt to reveal her lacy white bra.

He smirked, finally recognizing the attractive girl. "Aren't you with Marvel?"

"So?" She walked away slowly, her hips swaying invitingly as she made her way to the men's restroom. "Aren't you coming?"

The boy chuckled darkly before following after her, unzipping his jeans in the process.

* * *

"Cato?" A knock came from the door.

He groaned and dragged himself out of the bed to open the door. "Hey."

Clove smiled softly. "Did I just wake you up?"

"Maybe."

She laughed. "I'll come back later then."

She turned around to leave, but Cato grabbed her wrist gently. "No, stay here with me."

"But I don't want to keep you up if you're tired." Clove yawned; she was drowsy as well. The effects of all this stress was finally starting to hit everyone.

He smiled crookedly. "You can sleep next to me if you want."

She wanted to object, but her legs were screaming with exhaustion. Clove knew she wouldn't make it to another room without collapsing. So instead, she nodded sleepily and allowed Cato to carry her to the huge bed like a little child. They faced each other with Cato resting one arm over his new girlfriend, sleep ready to drag them under.

"Clove," He said groggily. "Is there any other place for us here?"

She shook her head slightly. "Thresh might be able to find some places, but this was the only good hiding spot I could think of that would fit everyone."

"Well we can't stay here forever." Cato mumbled. "We need to find a place before someone-"

Marvel burst through the room, panting heavily. "I saw Glimmer's car heading towards the neighborhood when I went out for a walk. I think she might be coming over."

Clove and Cato shot out of the bed and sprinted to try and erase their existence in this house. The two grabbed everyone and they all managed to hide everything and jump into the basement within a minute. Meanwhile, Marvel had rushed upstairs to strip down to his boxers and bathrobe. The doorbell rang twice and he messed up his hair quickly to add to the disheveled look.

He scanned around the rooms as he made his way to the door to check for anything out of place. Once he thought everything was fine, he opened the door slowly to reveal a very irritated Glimmer. He pretended to cough and used a nasally voice (almost similar to hers when she's healthy). "Hi babe."

As the dysfunctional couple continued talking, the group could hear every word in the basement. None of them even dared to move for fear of being discovered. Who know what Glimmer would do if she finds her school enemies seeking refuge in her boyfriend's basement?

"You shouldn't be here, Glim," Marvel said before coughing again. "I'm still contagious."

"Aww, that's too bad." She purred in her whiny voice. "I was hoping we could have some fun in your bed."

She placed her finger gently on the top of his boxers, but he backed up. "I'm serious, Glim, I have the stomach flu. If you want to end up blowing chunks, then come on in, but I'm pretty sure you'd rather not have your lunch make a reappearance."

She crinkled her nose in disgust. "Ew. Gross."

"Yeah, that's right." He started to lead her out. "I'll see you when I feel better, okay?"

He was about to close the door, when she quickly held out her hand to stop it. "Hold up."

"What?" He tried to remain calm, but his voice came off a little nervous. She moved him to the side and walked around his house, her high heels clicking loudly on his marble floor. "What are you doing?"

She stopped at one of the guest bedrooms and pushed the door ajar. "Why does it look like someone was in this guest bed? Is there someone else in your house that I don't know about?"

Everyone in the basement held their breaths. Especially Clove and Cato, because they realized it was the room they were just in before Glimmer came. While in such a hurry to clean up, some of them had forgotten to make their beds.

"No." Marvel said quickly.

"You're...you're having... a _side affair_ aren't you?" She concluded with a livid expression. "What, am I not enough to satisfy you? Are you kidding me? I am the freaking most beautiful girl you'll ever meet, asshole!"

"Glim-"

"Shut up!" She snapped. "I bet the whore you slept with is still in this house, isn't she? Where are you, bitch?!"

Marvel cursed under his breath as she stormed around the house opening every door on the first level. Meanwhile, the group down below were beginning to panic. What if she thinks of looking in the basement?

"Glimmer, stop!" Marvel yelled after her as they all heard the sounds of her heels against the floor grow louder and louder until she was right at the entrance to the stairs of the basement.

"Someone is in the basement, aren't they?" Glimmer's voice was near hysterical. "Show yourself!"

She continued down the stairs, hastily turned the doorknob, and shoved the door open.


	17. Chapter 17

Glimmer was about to switch on the lights when Marvel grabbed her.

"Don't touch me! I just had my hair done!" She hissed with a death glare.

"Glim, listen to me." He pleaded. "I slept in that bed _alone_."

"What?"

"I was too lazy to walk all the way up to my room so I just slept in the guest bed." He lied.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. Marvel rolled his eyes to ease the tension. "C'mon. Why would I want to sleep with any other girl? Like you said, you're the most beautiful girl out there."

She slammed the door to the basement shut. "You're damn right I am. If I find out you were lying to me, I will send all your football buddies to rip you to pieces."

Now it was Marvel's turn to narrow his eyes. "I didn't think you were friends with the football team."

"Well..._I am_." She stuck her nose in the air and stomped back up the stairs. "I'll be visiting often without warning so don't be surprised when I do."

"Fine."

She slammed the front door to his house and he could hear her car starting as she zoomed out the driveway and through the neighborhood. Glimmer wasn't the best driver, but at least she was gone for now. Marvel exhaled with relief and nonchalantly made his way to the basement.

"It's clear guys."

Everyone cautiously advanced form their hiding spots. "Well..." Peeta started awkwardly. "That was...unexpected."

"How did you get the twins to be so quiet?" Madge asked JJ. "Usually toddlers don't know when to stop talking."

"They've learned it the hard way." She answered with a shrug. "Whenever my fadda wanted them to shut up all I had to say is 'the monster's coming' and they don't even move."

" "The monster" is a pretty accurate term to describe Glimmer." Thresh added. "Speaking of which...she is going to find us sooner or later."

"Thresh is right." Gale sighed. "We have to leave. _Today_."

* * *

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you." Marvel whispered to Clove apologetically. Everyone was hopping into the car and getting ready to leave.

"It's fine, Marvel. How could you have known Glimmer would turn out like that?" Clove asked, with almost a little sarcasm hinting behind it.

He received the full message and grimaced. "Where will you go now?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "But thanks. I'll...I'll see you around."

And with that she left, slipping right through Marvel's fingers.

"_No_." He muttered to himself. "_This isn't over_."

* * *

"You think we're overreacting about this whole robbery-gang thing?" Peeta asked. "I mean, nothing has happened all day. Maybe we can go back to school tomorrow."

"Nothing has happened _yet_." Thresh reiterated. "But what kind of robber would break into a high security hale, murder my friend, and then leave without taking anything financial wise?"** {hale=house; pronounced like ha-lei**}

"Maybe a robbery gone wrong?" He suggested.

"You have a point." Thresh agreed. "But we'll go for another day and if nothing suspicious occurs then maybe we can stay at one of our places."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Thresh was usually the one who called the shots in situations such as these because of his experience and seniority. He was the only legal adult in this group with Gale and Peeta a few months behind him. He's their vital caretaker since the others weren't of age which prevented them from foster homes and such. Without Thresh, things would be much different between the group.

But at this rate, would it have been better if the Bravehearts were raised in a foster home, away from this trouble?

"Hey are you okay?"

Cato's smooth voice and touch snapped Clove out of her pensive thoughts. She missed her family more than anything now. Her parents and her aunt and uncle would have known what to do. If she could just see them one more time, it would relieve her from all this grief for a little while.

That's when she remembered her family photos and prized hunting knives back at home, alone and untouched in her drawer.

She knew she could never leave those behind.

"Thresh," Clove tapped him gently.

"What is it Clo?"

"Can we go back to my house just for a few minutes? I need to get some things."

Thresh sighed. "I don't know Clo..."

"Please, it's _really_ important to me."

She could see him changing course on the road. "Maybe a short visit wouldn't be too dangerous..."

* * *

"You only have ten minutes max." He said as he parked near the curb. "Enjoy it, kids."

"Wait you're not coming?" Gale asked.

Him and JJ both shook their heads. "We need to rest and watch over the twins. You guys go on ahead. We won't be missing out on much anyway."

Rue and Prim didn't need to be told twice. They zoomed out the car toward the house with everyone chasing after them, all of them eager to experience the "home sweet home" feelings they've longed for. After Katniss unlocked the door, the two little ones immediately sprinted for the pier with the older ones close behind. It's not the house that many of them loved to visit, but the pier that makes it so special. The beautiful view of the ocean, the warm feeling of the sun, and the peace and serenity is the best escape from all the stress those normal teens and children have been through lately. Everyone but Cato and Clove, however, had anxiously scurried outside.

"So we finally get some alone time..." Cato smirked and wrapped his arms around her waist.

She smiled, feeling a little frisky, before pushing him backwards onto the couch. He gave out a surprised grunt once he landed and was even more shocked when she easily slid into his lap. _Is this a dream or something_? He thought to himself. Her grin turned mischievous and she slowly made her way up from his neck to jawline with butterfly kisses. The anxiety was excruciating for Cato, and right before she met his lips, she pulled back to smirk teasingly at him.

_Nope, not a dream. Of course she would do that to me. _He grumbled in his head.

"Let me get my stuff before we get to the good part." Clove winked and rushed up the stairs. She wouldn't admit it, but she was dying to kiss her new boyfriend already. The belongings she came here for are just as important though, so she barged through her room. It hasn't been touched for a few days, yet it seemed like years.

_Has all this happened in just two days?_ She realized with amazement.

Clove shook the thought away and was just about to open her drawer when she heard the sound of footsteps making their way toward her room. They were silent, but not Katniss or Gale's footsteps. She would know; they were her hunting partners for years.

_Cato_?

She turned so her back was to the drawer which was slightly opened. Her animal instincts were screaming with warning as the footsteps neared her door. As the door pushed more ajar, her heart beat quickened and she held her breath. The tall lanky figure that slipped in was definitely not Cato.

Not Cato at all.

The man was wearing tan swim shorts and a brown bro tank that complimented his sandals and could camouflage him anywhere in Hawaii. His dirty blonde hair was messy, but it suited his lazy smile. But his eyes were a different story. They were cold almost black orbs that lacked any form of compassion. The guy was excited and viewed her as fresh meat, which didn't help the fear clutching her heart.

"Well, I didn't expect this... _lovely_ surprise, Ms. Braveheart."

"Who are you? What the hell are you doing in my house?" Her voice was edged with nervousness and she tried to calm herself. She can't afford to freeze like last year. That cost her too much already and there was no way in hell she would lose anything else.

"You don't remember me? That hurts." He feigned sadness before resuming his sadistic expression. His eyes searching her for the one thing she refused to show: fear. But his eyes also stabbed her like daggers, searching into her soul without her permission. He was penetrating her brave facade without even physically doing anything. That's when she remembered him.

Her eyes widened as his dark smile widened with anticipation. "You...you were there that night...you killed my family."

The man withdrew his switchblade and flipped it around casually. "Now, we're getting somewhere."

* * *

**Okay so I posted the full chapter ^_^ sorry let me rephrase myself I didn't mean I wanted to punish you...I meant more like a teaser. So sorry if you feel that way to the person who complained about it. And to the one who asked me about Finnick... ;) **

**REVIEW! :) **


	18. Chapter 18

**sorry sports and school is killing me both mentally and physically -.- okay so one of the reviews literally made my mouth drop. She just guessed basically the events of the chapter...she must be psychic or something...anyways back to the story ^_^**

* * *

_"You don't remember me? That hurts." He feigned sadness before resuming his sadistic expression. His eyes searching her for the one thing she refused to show: fear. But his eyes also stabbed her like daggers, searching into her soul without her permission. He was penetrating her brave facade without even physically doing anything. That's when she remembered him._

_Her eyes widened as his dark smile widened with anticipation. "You...you were there that night...you killed my family."_

_The man withdrew his switchblade and flipped it around casually. "Now, we're getting somewhere."_

* * *

Clove was trapped. The only way out was currently blocked by the man who intended to kill her. She shouldn't have gone up here alone. She shouldn't have come home in the first place. She didn't just put herself in danger by asking for this; she put her family and friends in danger as well.

And when her loved ones are in danger, so is her sanity for she can not live without them.

"Why are you here?" She needed to stall time, make him feel more comfortable and relaxed.

He smirked devilishly. "I was just stopping by for a visit. You know, to _reminisce_ about that night. Then I was going to hunt you kids down, but I guess you brought them all to me. How _thoughtful_."

Clove clenched her hand around the smooth handle of one of her blades.

"You brats make this job too easy. All I need to do is get rid of you folks and I can make my merry way back to my boss."

_Boss?_

"Wait, _you_ have a boss?" Clove was perplexed. "I thought you were in charge...that's why you killed my family right?"

The murderer sighed, flipping his knife in his hand absentmindedly. "Oh baby, if I were in the boss' shoes...life would be good. Sadly, there's someone higher up the food chain."

"So...you were ordered to do it?" She knew he could be caught off guard at this very moment, but she needed some answers. "Who is the boss?"

"One of my rules are that I can never say his name to anyone. But since I'm about to kill you, I think I can make an exception."

As he was talking, Clove spotted a swift shadow behind him. Her eyes flickered to the movement before quickly averting her attention to the intruder. The man was a sharp one, however, and easily caught her distraction. He whipped around only to be tackled to the ground roughly by Cato. While they rolled around throwing many hard punches at each other, they knocked down a few chairs and drawers causing a major ruckus. Clove couldn't aim at the killer; she didn't want to risk hitting Cato in the process. Not sure what to do, she ran at the two boys and swung at the older one. Her fist connected with his jaw and she couldn't tell what hurt more, her hand or his face.

It was enough to stun him for a quick second and also give Cato a chance to scramble back on his feet. The men stared at each other before the young blonde's eyes widened with recognition. "What the hell? _Cray_?"

"Surprised to see me?" He replied with a smirk which looked twice as scary with blood trailing down his lip.

"You know him?" Clove was even more shocked.

"We worked at the same surf shop that Thresh owned." Cato answered before hardening his gaze at him. "I thought we were friends, dude. "

"I'm twenty eight and your sixteen. That's not friends, that's just me babysitting your sorry ass." Cray snarled. "I was supposed to keep an eye on you not _befriend_ you."

"Why the hell do you want to hurt my girlfriend then?" The two guys were circling around each other like it was a wrestling match. "She hasn't done anything to anyone."

Cray stopped, a wicked grin growing on his face. "She never told you what exactly happened?"

Cato hesitated, but his glare never wavered. "No, but I know she'll tell me when she's ready."

The older one let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, right. Hey Clove, remember how scared you were when I held that gun against your head?"

"_Shut. Up_." She slowly began to seethe with renewed hatred from that horrible night. Of course she remembers; it was only an event that turned her whole life upside down.

"And you remember how I just threw you kids in the closet and made you watch?" He jeered on while watching Cato incase he tried to catch him off guard.

She tightened her grip on the weapon concealed behind her back.

"Oh, I remember the feel of my gun splattering their blood everywhere. And the sound of your miserable wailing because you were too scared to save your loved ones. You just stood there and watched like a coward. You and your whole family..._pathetic_. Can't even put up a fight to save their own life-"

She finally snapped and released the knife so fast no one even saw it coming. The whole room went completely silent. Cray's sadistic smile faded as he slowly peered down at the handle of the blade protruding from his chest. Blood stained his shirt and traveled like a flowing waterfall, dripping from his mouth and nose. He lifted his head to gape at Clove before falling down to his knees.

Clove casually walked up to him and whispered harshly into his ear. "My family is full of fighters who are ten times as skilled and courageous as you will ever be. Your boss will regret sending you after my family. Now, go to hell."

She ripped out her knife from his chest and Cray let out a ragged gasp. Almost as if in slow motion, he fell onto his back and remained still. Blood continued to pool around his slim body like a huge puddle.

Clove watched the red stain her clean beige carpet in utter silence._ How ironic_, she thought humorlessly. _I just killed the person who murdered my family in this exact same room..._

She turned her empty gaze to her knife. It was covered in his blood and it only made Clove want to vomit. This weapon wasn't to be used for purposes like this...she remembered her father's exact words when she first received those precious knives.

"_Clove," Her father smiled warmly, his brown eyes tinkling with excitement. "I got something for your first hunting trip with Katniss and Gale."_

_Clove, being only eleven at the time, eagerly bounced up and down. "Really?!"_

_He chuckled before pulling his feisty daughter onto his lap. "Yes Clo, but you need to calm down a little before I give it."_

_"Okay, I'm good. Can I see it now, please?" She asked anxiously._

_Her father pulled out a medium sized box from behind his back. Clove squirmed with impatience as he slowly pried the case open. She let out a huge gasp. Inside were five knives meant for throwing and close combat if needed. Each one was plain in one aspect, but intricate in another. They were perfect._

_"Oh thank you, Fadda!" Clove squeezed her father as tight as she could._

_"But there are rules for these weapons, Clo." He said sternly. "You can never harm another human being with these knives. They are only meant for hunting and protection. Understand?"_

_She nodded, absorbing every word her father said. There hasn't been one piece of advice from her wise parents that turned out unreliable. They've taught her so much in life which gave her the capability to handle huge responsibilities such as Katniss and Prim and break through obstacles as difficult as avoiding foreclosure and maintaining straight A's at the same time._

_"Remember, Clove Isabel Braveheart, taking a life is very serious no matter if it's a tiny animal or a criminal. You can never undo the damage. Promise me you'll never go through the same mistakes as I did."_

_Clove didn't quite understand his last statement then, but nodded. "I promise Fadda."_

Now that she reflected back to that memory, she wondered about what he meant when he said "the same mistake as I did". _What mistakes..?_ It's not like she'll ever find out the answer to that either; her parents are gone.

And to make matters even worse, she had broken her promise. She used those knives to end someone else's life. It had finally hit her; she had murdered a human being in cold hatred. He wasn't attacking her physically, only mentally, yet she didn't hesitate to stick a knife in his heart. _What have I done?_ She asked quietly in her mind.

She could sense Cato kneeling down beside her, but her eyes were still glued on her knife covered in blood. How could she look at him when he had just watched her lose her mind like that? Who could love such a monster?

He can.

"Clove," he whispered soothingly, "Baby, look at me."

He gently used his hand to move Clove by her chin to face him. Her empty, glazed over brown eyes hesitantly flickered up from the ground to meet his. Cato studied her and finally saw emotion in her as her eyes began to slightly water.

"It's okay," Cato said reassuringly as they got lost in eachother's eyes. "Everything will be okay. There was no other choice; you had to do it."

She nodded slowly, unable to speak without bursting into tears. Slowly, he pulled her into his protective arms after easing the bloody knife from her hands and placing it a safe distance from her. He held her tightly against him as she trembled with dry sobs, stroking her hair and whispering in her ear.

That's when Madge and Katniss walked in the room with towels wrapped around their wet clothes. Katniss didn't speak, only widened her eyes at the dead body in the middle of the carpet. She could easily deduce what had occurred upon sight of the knife gleaming with blood.

_Clove_.

Madge, on the other hand, gasped in horror and screamed; she was the least jaded of all other than Prim and Rue. Gale and Peeta rushed into the room within seconds, eyes wild and alert once they spotted the trouble.

"What's wrong?" They could all hear Prim and Rue swiftly climbing the stairs.

Katniss and Gale immediately ran out the door to stop the little ones from seeing the dead body. Ten year olds should not have to experience such a graphic scene. Especially when they are as pure as those two angel-like girls.

"Nothing is wrong," Gale replied calmly. "Go back downstairs and dry yourselves on the pier, okay? Kat and Peeta will be right down there with you."

He looked expectantly at Katniss, who nodded in return, before they both returned to the room. Peeta was comforting his traumatized little cousin yet his face had gone paler than usual as he continued to stare at the body. He wasn't great with the sight of death either. Katniss' mother was a doctor and surgeon, so death wasn't uncommon to Katniss when she and Prim would stay at the hospital for hours at a time. However, the sight of so much blood still makes her queasy.

Without saying a word, she softly pulled on the hem of Peeta's wet shirt. He gave her a questioning look, but Gale gestured his head toward the door. The pale blonde boy allowed Gale to take over and console Madge, who was still quietly sobbing. Cato was still holding Clove too and as he looked up, he met the piercing, bone chilling gaze that only Katniss was capable of.

Katniss wasn't accustomed to other males being there for her family other than Peeta and Thresh. She didn't trust anyone easily. When one of her loved ones are in distress, she wouldn't hesitate to be by their side. She knew she could easily take a bullet for Prim, Clove and the others, but would she do the same for this boy? In that small moment, a slight, but fierce spark lit up her eyes. Her steely glare practically branded the message into Cato's head: _'you take good care of my cousin...or else.'_

He nodded and mouthed the words_ 'I will'_ more to himself than to Katniss. And that was all she needed to see before the brunette turned on her heels sharply, her signature braid whipping through the air as she swiftly traveled down stairs to deal with the other matters that awaited them.

* * *

**Oh my gawd! 119 reviews?! That's the best thing ever ^_^ just seeing how many reviews I've gotten so far has lifted my spirits up. School sucks so I only have sports and this to cheer bye up so thanks! I'm aiming for 300 or hopefully more because we haven't even gotten to the main part of the story xD I will try and start up another story once I reach my goal or near enough to 300 so reviewing = more benefits to you :) I'll try to update sooner**!


	19. Chapter 19

_Her steely glare practically branded the message into Cato's head: 'you take good care of my cousin...or else.'_

_He nodded and mouthed the words 'I will' more to himself than to Katniss. And that was all she needed to see before the brunette turned on her heels sharply, her signature braid whipping through the air as she swiftly traveled down stairs to deal with the other matters that awaited them._

* * *

Thresh hurriedly entered the room, drinking in the whole scene within a few moments. He was not shocked with the outcome; Clove was too skilled to be harmed by a mediocre assassin on one of the lowest of the "statuses". But Thresh was definitely angry at the fact he wasn't able to prevent this. He should have known better.

"How do you know it's just some low ranked criminal?" Cato asked curiously while facing JJ. He hissed when she applied the cleaning alcohol to his wound on the side of his head.

"Don't be such a baby, brah." JJ chided lightheartedly despite the dead body a few feet away. After she finished bandaging, she leaned in to whisper in his ear, "Thank you for being there for her."

He nodded with a small smile gracing his lips before turning his attention back to Thresh, who was in deep thought. "If that bastard was a skilled high rank assassin, he wouldn't have been caught unaware so easily by you. Even then, you would have more seriously injured or dead if you tried to attack a professional."

"Oh..." Was all Cato could say.

"But I'm glad you had the guts to do it." Thresh added before walking closer and kneeling to get a better look at the dead man. "Well...I never expected Cray to be responsible for this."

He sighed angrily and rubbed the side of his head. JJ walked over and knelt beside him before leaning into his side gently. He put an arm around her lovingly; she will always be there for him no matter what.

"What's on his hip?" JJ asked after a few moments of silence.

Cray's shirt was slightly revealing the outline of a tattoo. Thresh tentatively lifted it to see the artwork on his left hip. It was a blood red rose about three inches long, barely noticeable yet very eye catching if you knew it was there. Underneath the intricately carved flower were the words _The Capitol_.

"What the hell is '_The Capitol_'?" Clove asked, finally able to snap out of her daze and speak.

Thresh looked up with an emotionless expression. "I think we just discovered the name this cult- or whatever they are-goes by."

They all went silent, the same question floated in their minds.._.how many more are involved in this?_

* * *

"Dammit, Cray," A tall blonde woman hissed viciously into the phone. "If you don't pick up your damn phone right now, I will rip you to pieces!"

She slammed her phone shut and huffed in frustration._ Why is this imbecile not answering his phone?_ She growled to herself. He had one job: to find those brats and dispose of them. It shouldn't be taking him so long...

The woman rolled her eyes in plain annoyance at the situation; she always carries these idiots through every job by herself. It's like babysitting a bunch of adult male killers. She wouldn't mind slicing a few of them up herself just for pure enjoyment.

Her lips curled up into a sadistic grin at the thought of blood and pain of others. Many people would call her sick minded and even psychotic at times, but in this place she belongs. Here she can be herself and receive praise for her bloodlust. The Capitol makes her feel important and powerful and the fact that she's the boss' favorite is a bonus. Who said a woman couldn't handle this honorable position?

_Brutus_.

His bulky form sauntered into the room towards her with an irritated scowl on his face. "I can't believe you made me travel all the way back to the mainland. What the hell do you want me here for?"

She returned his scowl equally as annoyed. "Boss' orders. Why the hell else would I want you here? To go grab some tea and have a nice little chat with you?" She scoffed. "I don't want you here as much as you want to be here. Now quit whining like a little girl you're starting to sound like these dumb asses over here."

"Hey!" A low indignant voice sounded from the other side of the room.

"Shut up, Titus." She growled back. The man, Titus, didn't dare shoot anything back at her.

"So...I see you've been running all of this pretty decent." Brutus commented casually with a small hint of a smirk.

Her blood began to simmer with renewed anger. "I've been doing great. I told you a woman can easily work this job better than an ignorant man like you."

She remembered how this argument first arose.

_The boss had told them within a week of her joining that he needed a right hand man and that he would pick out the one best suited for the job in an hour. She always loved having control and authority over others, so naturally she was determined to get it._

_"Someone looks like they want the job badly." A cold male voice sounded behind her. She whirled around to face a muscular man who was only an inch or so above her. Judging by his coy smile, she knew he was the type who enjoyed getting under everyone's skin. "Too bad you don't have a chance at all."_

_"And why is that?"_

_A few of the guys snickered __with the man before he answered. "You don't know how we prove ourselves to the boss?"_

_"Uh, no. I'm a new member..."_

_His eyes lit up with amusement. "We earn everything that we want through hand to hand combat. A woman wouldn't be able to handle it."_

_"Oh yeah?" She challenged. "Let me just prove you wrong by beating your pathetic ass."_

_The men gathering around to enjoy the scene hooted loudly in approval as the two circled each other like two animals fighting for complete dominance._

_The fight was incredibly intense with neither one ready to back down. It had lasted for an hour so far, but none would admit their exhaustion. Both were covered with numerous scratches, bruises, and pretty much anything else._

_The man swung and made brief but solid contact with her mouth. She stumbled backward slightly, but other than that she was completely unfazed and unharmed. He stared at his hand-which was dripping blood in his knuckles- and then to her with slight confusion; most people would have been spitting out blood and teeth with his iron punches. She smirked devilishly as she rubbed her jaw gently, thanking her abusive father for being the main reason why her mouth was so indestructible._

_One time her father had hit her so hard in the mouth a majority of teeth had either fallen out or chipped badly. That's how she met the boss while wandering on the streets with barely anything left in her mouth. He took her in and even paid for a tooth replacement surgery to be done. Before they injected her with anesthesia, she made sure to request something extra special to be done on her mouth._

_"Pretty impressive for a woman." He admitted bitterly. "What's your name, girlie?"_

_She grinned toothily this time, exposing her lethal wolf-like fangs for everyone to see. "Enobaria."_

" 'Aria are you listening to me?" Brutus's rough voice snapped her out of her glorious flashbacks.

"No, not really." She replied bluntly.

He rolled his eyes and scowled blatantly. "Why the hell does the boss want me here?"

"Maybe to ask you to do him a favor." She gave him a pointed glare, remembering why she was so stressed out in the first place.

"And the boss couldn't have just called me to ask me himself?"

Now it was her turn to roll her eyes. "Are you really going to question the boss for his reasons?"

Brutus scowled; even he had a place beneath a more superior being. Before he could complain any further under his breath, Enobaria checked her phone and gestured for him to follow. "He's ready to see you now."

They walked down the long hallway to the solid metal door at the very end. Enobaria placed her hand on the palm scanner and the door clicked open to reveal a flight of stairs heading down into what it appeared as a never ending darkness below.

"Where's the damn elevator?" Brutus grumbled.

"Only for the boss' use."

_Of course_, he thought moodily to himself.

Once they reached the bottom, there was a steel door at the end of another hallway. Enobaria repeated the same step to gain access to the indestructible door, opening it silently and cautiously. The room inside was incredibly spacious with ornate furniture systematically placed throughout the place and stark white carpeting to give off an eerie glow.

The roaring fireplace caused shadows to dance along the walls casting an even more haunting effect. Brutus whistled quietly when he spotted the huge portrait of his leader perfectly poised with a rose resting on his lap. He had no clue why those flowers held such importance to the boss, but he'd rather not question it.

The armchair facing the fireplace had a small wooden table with a cup of tea beside it. Brutus knew the boss was in that seat and he nervously edged a few steps closer to him. It's been awhile since he's seen his boss in person. Enobaria held her arm out to stop him. "Boss, Brutus is here."

She nudged him forward until he was beside the armchair before backing up a few steps.

"Thank you, Enobaria," A clear, placid voice sounded. "But you may want to stay for this too. I will need just a few of your men for this job."

"As for you Brutus," he continued," do you know why I asked to see you?"

He swallowed his pride for the one person he truly feared and respected. "No, sir."

"I came to ask about your eldest daughter, Jacqueline Akamai."

"Jacqueline?" The topic was completely unexpected. "What about her?"

"I hear she's quite a brilliant girl for her young age." The boss remarked casually.

"I suppose..."

"But I also heard she is dating a son of two FBI agents." He finished with the same tone despite the content in his statement.

Brutus was confused. "Excuse me, sir, but I believe I met her boyfriend recently and he would actually do well in our group. He even offered to take those useless twins and auction them off so I wouldn't have to deal with them anymore."

The boss merely chuckled. "You were fooled, Brutus. But since you weren't involved in this whole...situation beforehand, I'll let my assistant here give you the full details."

Brutus nodded, slightly simmering at his previous error caused by his own ignorance. He didn't even consider his own daughter would have the audacity to deceive him. "Would that be all, sir?"

The boss paused to take a sip of his tea. "I want you and Enobaria to send a few men to retrieve your daughter."

"Wait...you want me to capture my own daughter?"

"This job should be effortless, Brutus, so I wouldn't even put yourself through the trouble. Just send a select few to track down those kids and bring your daughter back alive."

Brutus still couldn't fathom why someone as powerful as the boss would put that girl to any great use."May I ask why you want Jacqueline?"

"As bait to lure her friends here." He answered as if it was the easiest question in the world. "Plus, she would be a wonderful asset with her brilliant mind. I can even see her as my next...student."

He didn't like that last statement at all. The last "student" he tried to brainwash had almost gone completely hysterical. The poor child was too pure to be exposed to the sadism and cruelty that the boss views as mere enjoyment. Even though Brutus knew he was a horrible father, he still took some pride in having such a genius young lady. The thought of losing that great quality didn't settle well with him.

But he didn't dare protest against the boss' wishes.

"Yes, sir." Enobaria confirmed, unperturbed by Brutus's concern for his daughter. Sympathy had never been a part of her personality. "What if we run into those other brats along the way?"

"Simple,"he took another sip of his tea. "Aim for the little ones first."

"Why?" Brutus asked; he hated dealing with the disposal of little children. "Aren't the older kids more of a threat?"

"Yes, but they love those two little girls more than their own lives. Once they're gone, the older ones will be so grief stricken they won't be able to think straight."

As the two started heading for the door, the boss continued, "That's why love is the ultimate weakness for every human. Once you eliminate the weakness, you can easily eliminate the threat to get what you want."


	20. Chapter 20

_"Aim for the little ones first."_

_"Why?" Brutus asked; he hated dealing with little children. "Aren't the older kids more of a threat?"_

_"Yes, but they love those two little girls more than their own lives. Once they're gone, the older ones will be so grief stricken they won't be able to think straight."_

_As the two started heading for the door, the boss continued, "That's why love is the ultimate weakness for every human. Once you eliminate the weakness, you can easily eliminate the threat to get what you want."_

* * *

They didn't know who else to turn to.

Marvel opened the door, surprise clear on his face. "Clove..?"

She smiled weakly. "Hi, Marvel."

"What happened?" The look on her face was enough to warn him something was amiss.

"Long story," Peeta said as he walked up the steps to the front door with the others. "But we need to stay one more night."

* * *

"So...you killed a guy whose part of some gang and now you're running away like a wanted criminal?" Marvel summarized it bluntly after the details were revealed.

Clove looked down, ashamed of her current predicament. "Yes."

"Could you be any more damn insensitive?" Cato snarled defensively over his girlfriend.

"Relax, Brooks." The tall brunette waved him off like he was an annoying bug. "I was just trying to make sense of all this, that's all."

"Guys," Madge interrupted, her head poking out from the entrance to the kitchen. "You need to see this."

Everyone walked to the small TV in that room and crowded around it. It was the only news channel in Oahu broadcasting an event that happened just today.

_"A body was discovered within a neighborhood residence in Honolulu this afternoon. The police haven't made a positive identification on the victim, but they're concluding this as a homicide. This is the second homicide within weeks in this area. Our first reporter on the scene was able to get a few questions answered by one of the investigating officers..."_

The TV screen zoomed into the crime scene which was none other than Clove, Katniss, and Prim's house. The reporter was calmly holding a recorder to the policeman and asking questions clearly and audibly. The policeman had visible red hair underneath his uniform hat; an identifiable trait for the group.

"Isn't that the officer who was at your house, Thresh?" Cato asked.

"Yeah, that's Darius..." He replied slowly, uncertain of what will come next.

"Officer Randall, can you tell us the cause of death?"

Though extremely concerned because he knew very well whose home this was, Darius remained stoic and composed the whole time. He couldn't display any signs of worry or it could evoke panic. "We believe the victim had been stabbed, but we have yet to recover the weapon and are awaiting the results of the autopsy."

"Are there any suspects or witnesses to identify the culprit or culprits?"

He paused and looked at the screen for a split second. "No...not at the moment, but we do have reason to believe it was done by a group of juveniles...if there are any witnesses or anyone who thinks they have information on the victim and/or the suspects, please call or report to the station. That's all."

Marvel clicked the remote and the screen went blank like the faces of each individual in the room.

Clove was the first to move. She snatched a knife from the knife block and angrily chucked it across the room. It whizzed through the air so swiftly that by the time everyone snapped their heads around the blade had already embedded itself into the farthest wall. When they turned back, she was already gone. It was obvious she needed to take out her rage in Marvel's basement.

Cato immediately began to walk after her, but was stopped roughly by a firm hand; a steel hard grip that could only be developed through years of training with spears.

"Leave her be," Marvel growled. "She doesn't want to be bothered when she's pissed."

"Well, she will talk to _me_." He bared his teeth in annoyance.

"Why the hell would she talk to you over anyone else here? We've all known her longer than you."

"Because I'm her boyfriend." Cato ripped his shoulder from Marvel's hand. "Her _loving_, _faithful_ boyfriend to be exact."

That was the final straw for Marvel. He lunged angrily at Cato, but Thresh and Gale caught him in time and held him back. Cato didn't even bother to look back; he had only one person on his mind to worry about.

Clove couldn't stop throwing knives and spears and pretty much anything else she could really get her hands on. _Murderer_, she said to her over and over again. It rang unbearably loud in her mind, echoing and taunting her. Everything was flashing in front of her. The image of her killing a human being, the horrible night a year ago, and the promise she made to her father...it was all too much to bear.

Out of nowhere, two strong arms wrapped around her. She panicked, flailing around like an animal trying to flee from its predator's deadly grasp. The grip only tightened, but this time a low voice whispered in her ear sending warmth throughout her entire body. It was almost like the effects of a sedative drug.

"Clove." She could recognize Cato's voice clearly now. "Clove, calm down it's me."

Her arms went limp and her hand dropped the last knife. Cato slowly turned her around to face him. Her deep brown eyes were filled with years of unshed tears. When one small tear after another began to slip down her pale cheek, Cato smoothly leaned forward to kiss each one of them gently. He used both thumbs to wipe the remaining drops before gazing straight back into her eyes.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Cato whispered. "He was going to kill us; you had no choice."

"He was only taunting me. No one's life was in danger when I murdered him." She answered bitterly. "And now...now we're wanted criminals because of me."

"Clove, you can't be like this. Your cousins, Thresh, JJ...we all need you to be strong. I know it's hard to take a life, but would you rather have Prim or Rue get hurt instead?"

She sniffled softly and nodded in agreement. Clove would do anything to protect her loved ones even if it means taking a life or sacrificing her own. "I'm sorry."

The blonde quirked an eyebrow. "Why are you sorry? For saving my life from a maniac who I thought was my friend? Babe, _I_ should be the one saying sorry for being such a loser and not being able to protect you."

"You're not a loser, Cato."

"You're right...I'm not." He smiled warmly. "I'm a lucky ass winner because I finally got the girl of my dreams."

She blushed, the pinkish red more obvious due to her light complexion. "Obviously, you've been working on your cheesy pickup lines."

He chuckled before intertwining both their hands together. "I'm glad I finally got the chance to use them on you."

Then he leaned forward, a crooked smile on his face that sent butterflies in her stomach. "You know what else I've been wanting to do, but never got the chance to?"

She already knew the answer, but she decided to play it cool. "What is that?"

"To kiss my girlfriend, _duh_." Cato rolled his eyes. "C'mon Clove, keep up-"

Her lips crashed onto his, cutting off the rest of his sarcastic comment.

* * *

"Marvel, calm the hell down please." Thresh growled as he restrained the brunette tightly.

Marvel suddenly stopped. "Okay, I'm calm."

Thresh let him go and Marvel angrily stormed off to his room, slamming the door with enough force to cause some of the glasses in the kitchen to shake.

Katniss sighed and rubbed the sides of her head in attempts to quell the stress-induced headache. "I think that's the signal for bedtime guys."

Everyone murmured in agreement before dragging their feet to their claimed rooms.

Clove and Cato were cuddling affectionately in each other's arms, laughing and talking like they were just two teenagers on a normal picnic date. Someone suddenly cleared their throat from behind causing them to jump and spin around. Katniss and Thresh were standing side by side with their arms crossed and smirks plastered on their faces.

"I see you're feeling _much_ better, Clo." Katniss remarked amusedly with Thresh chuckling softly beside her.

"Shut up, cuz." Clove rolled her eyes. "I'm still not in the mood for your teasing."

Katniss dropped her smirk and shifted her weight on the other leg. "Neither is Marvel."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Cato grumbled, still annoyed with the boy.

"Well for starters, you brought up a touchy subject for him." She answered casually. "He knows he screwed up, but shoving it in his face and getting us all kicked out as a result isn't what we need right now."

"He's a big boy; I'm pretty sure he can handle it." He responded coldly with a scowl on his face. As much as he hates that guy, he can't deny the fact that Marvel has done so much for all of them. Even though it was probably only for Clove's sake...

"Well what the hell do you want me to do about it? Talk to him and let him cry on my shoulder?"

"That's actually not a bad idea." Clove said thoughtfully. "Why don't you go now?"

"Babe, I was being sarcastic."

She stood up and offered her hand to pull him up, a small hint of a smirk on her pale face. "I know."

Marvel sighed emptily, all the energy summoned from his previous rage had completely exhausted itself. Now he was just a tired, phlegmatic mess. He stared at the plain white ceiling, futilely willing himself to fall asleep like he does every night. All he wants is just an escape from this cruel world-even for a few hours in a peaceful slumber.

He wasn't planning to answer when he heard knocking on the other side of his door.

"Marvel?" Clove's gentle voice called out.

_Damn_, he said to himself before rolling off his bed and opening the door. His anger was only fueled once more when he saw Cato lingering behind her.

"What do you want?" He glared at the blonde as he spoke gruffly. Cato only returned the dirty look.

"You and Cato are going to sort out your little issues right _now_." Clove pushed Cato inside. "Come out when you two are friends."

"_What_-?" Marvel started before she shut the door, leaving the two alone to apologize or engage in a fist fight.

"Look," Cato started. "I don't want to be here either, but we should get along for Clove's sake."

Marvel scoffed. "Are you _serious_? I've been doing all of this for Clove. Letting her stay here, letting _you_ stay here..."

"I know, Marvel. You've done a lot for her -for _all_ of us- and we're extremely grateful. I'm sure you want to kick my ass right now, but we need to set aside our differences. There are bigger problems at the moment."

"You're right." The brunette grudgingly admitted. "But don't expect me to be your best friend or anything. I still think you're a jackass."

Cato smirked. "The feelings are definitely mutual."

"But can I ask you this?" Marvel started, causing Cato to hesitate at the door and turn back around. "Is Clove...happy?"

The question slightly caught Cato off guard. _Does he really care about her that much?_

"Yes." He answered with sincerity.

"Has she trusted you enough to tell you the full story?" Marvel further implored. "Like...how her family got...you know..."

Now that Cato thought about it, he realized he doesn't know what really happened. Why Clove snapped so viciously when Cray taunted her...or why she was so fragile sometimes but extremely aloof at other times...all those questions needed an answer. It's been avoided for way too long and Cato knew time was something they never had.

"I'm about to find out." Cato replied as he walked out the door, determined to get his girlfriend to entrust him with her darkest secret.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait :(**

**school is such a struggle...**

**but at least I have my own "Cato" to cheer me up :) **

**Review if you have any interesting ideas for the story! **


	21. Chapter 21

_"Has she trusted you enough to tell you the full story?" Marvel further implored. "Like...how her family got...you know..." _

_Now that Cato thought about it, he realized he doesn't know what really happened. Why Clove snapped so viciously when Cray taunted her...or why she was so fragile sometimes but extremely aloof at other times...all those questions needed an answer. It's been avoided for way too long and Cato knew time was something they never had. _

_"I'm about to find out." Cato replied as he walked out the door, determined to get his girlfriend to entrust him with her darkest secret._

From the doorway, Clove listened to Katniss' melodic voice as she lulled Prim and Rue to sleep. She could almost picture herself a year ago singing the same tune as she strolled in the woods with Katniss and Gale. Those were one of the happy, but very distant memories left ingrained in Clove's mind; an escape from all her problems and worries.

_"Deep in the meadow...under the willow. A bed full of grass...a soft green pillow..." _

_ (flashback)_

"Clove," Her father spoke gently as he lay beside her in the low, grassy patches right before the entrance to the woods. "I have to leave again."

She didn't react like a normal child would have; she was too accustomed to it. Since Clove was born, she lived with the Everdeens and basically _was_ an Everdeen herself. Her father was hardly around due to "business" reasons. She never understood why he had to miss her sports games or her birthdays, but she accepted it and bonded closely with her cousins. Auntie Iris and Uncle Kale were like her parents as well and she loved them just so.

"Where are you going?" She asked hopeful of an answer just this once.

Of course, her father just sighed and rubbed his weary eyes. "Business trip."

"Oh," Was all she could say.

"Uncle Kale will be going with me too so I want you to help out Auntie Iris around the house and take care of your little cousins, okay?"

"Okay," She answered halfheartedly. "When will you come home?" Even though she knew the answer to that question too.

"I don't know, baby." Her father sighed. "I don't know."

After a few moments of depressing silence, Clove turned so that her back was facing her father. "I'm sorry that you're not happy, but it's just how life is, Clove. Your uncle and I are risking ourselves to support our family, but it requires us to travel-"

"I understand, Fadda." She cut him off gently. She didn't do it out of anger and impatience; she cut him off to just end what they both knew wouldn't help their situation in the least bit. Clove would still be abandoned by her father for an unknown amount of time to an unknown location for an unknown reason.

She lethargically brought herself back on her feet. "I think I'll just go inside to my room. Have fun on your business trip. Hope I'll see you soon..."

As she slowly walked away, her father just sighed again and remained in his position. She could have sworn she heard him mutter under his breath "I hope so too."

Little did she know, that would be the last time Clove would spend quality time with her father. If only she hadn't ended that moment the way she had...maybe the guilt and regret wouldn't pain her so much as it still does to this day. She didn't even say she loved him or anything special.

_I'm a terrible daughter_, she said in her mind.

Unable to listen to her cousin sing her childhood lullaby any longer, she silently turned and headed to her room. Once she opened the door, she was surprised to see her boyfriend sitting on her bed tentatively playing with his hands. He seemed nervous as his eyes snapped up to meet hers, but his face was also determined for some answers.

"I think it's time you finally tell me what happened that night."

It was a complete standstill for a few excruciatingly long moments. Cato tensed up because he was trying to anticipate how Clove would react and Clove held her breath because she didn't know how to react. Would she burst into grieving sobs or would she become livid with his demands?

Neither.

She merely sighed and sagged her shoulders as if the weight of the world were crushing her skinny body. "You're right, babe. I've put this off for too long."

Cato patted the bed invitingly, a small reassuring smile gracing his lips. She didn't hesitate to sit beside him and lean into him. It was always warmer and safer when she was close to him. After a few more moments of silence, she leaned to her pillow and withdrew a photo from underneath. "This is my family with the Everdeens. It was the last full family picture we took together..."

He studied the photo closely, trying to picture how each one would look as if they were in the room at this very moment. Cato saw seven people in total. Some characteristics helped Cato distinguish family members such as Katniss and her father with the same dark hair, skin tone, and smoky grey eyes.

_She looks nothing like her mother though_, he observed quietly. But it definitely explained to him why Katniss and Prim were the complete opposite of each other.

Then there was Clove's family beside the Everdeens. Her mother was a natural beauty with midnight black hair that fell down in defined waves to her shoulders. She looked like an older version of Clove with the same pale skin and deep brown eyes that shone bright with pure happiness. Her natural red lips and pearly white teeth mirrored Clove's in the photo which was saddening to Cato. It showed that she was once a truly happy, worry free child with her family and that's something he might never get to see in her. Clove Braveheart will never be that lively, innocent young one she used to be. That side of her was killed the moment her family members were killed.

"Her name was Kalani." Clove said. "She passed away six years ago from cancer."

"You look just like her." Cato added softly.

She nodded, smiling lightly. "I've been told that many times ."

Then she pointed at the tall man beside her mother. "This is Ben Braveheart...my dad."

He didn't look much like Clove because he was the brother of Iris Everdeen; the same alluring blue eyes and pale skin clearly showing the resemblance between them. His charming grin was wide, but contrasted the mood with his eyes. Even from this photo, Cato could notice one thing about this man: he was extremely burnt out from something. The beginning shadows under his sleep deprived eyes were enough to support that. What could this man have been so stressed out about?

This may even be related to how he was murdered...

Clove took a deep breath. "I think you should know everything to the full extent now."

The blonde nodded solemnly, taking her hand lovingly into his own.

"It all started on a normal Friday night..."

* * *

"Prim, whatcha doing?" Clove asked, sitting down beside her in her room.

"It's mommy and daddy's anniversary tomorrow, so I'm writing them a letter." She said as she scrawled messily on a piece of paper.

Katniss then stalked into the room with an unusually wide grin on her face. "Hey."

"Some one just got kissed by Peeta Mellark." Clove snorted.

"What are you talking about?" Katniss defended, but with a deep red in her cheeks.

Clove laughed at her younger cousin's attempts at denial while Prim resumed her drawing, too young to be interested on that topic.

Her mother peeped past the door with her usual beautiful smile gracing her lips. "Hey ladies, ready for bed yet? It's almost one o'clock in the morning!"

"Mom," Katniss whined playfully. "We're teenagers. We don't need a bedtime."

Her father walked into the room and wrapped an arm around his wife. "Prim has a bedtime though. C'mon we don't want you all to be vegetables tomorrow."

"Aww," The little blonde pouted before hopping into bed. Her parents tucked her in and kissed her forehead softly.

"We love you baby." Her mother whispered.

"I love you too." Prim smiled contently.

Katniss and Clove took their turns kissing their little Prim goodnight and headed to their shared room. They weren't tired at all so they sat on the carpet and whispered excitedly for tomorrow. They planned to give Iris and Kale Everdeen a handmade portrait of the two with handmade cards as well.

As they continued whispering, a loud crash and the sound of glass shattering occurred downstairs, cutting off all conversation amongst the two. The sound of Iris's surprised yelp alarmed them even more. Katniss and Clove immediately knew the adults were in danger, so each one of them grabbed their weapons and quietly sneaked to Prim's room.

Once they checked she was okay, Clove and Katniss stealthily moved toward the stairs. It was almost as if they were hunting in the woods again. Little did they know, however, that they weren't the predators this time.

"Kat! Clo!" Prim whispered. They both whirled around to see the wide eyed blonde standing in the hallway. "Where are you going?"

"Hush, Little Duck," The older sister said soothingly. "Just go back to your room we're just gonna check on Muddah and Fadda."

She nodded and yawned heavily. "Okay."Then with that, Prim sleepily made her way back to her room.

The two continued their way to the stairs when they heard more movement behind them.

"Kat...Clo..." Prim called out meekly, her voice a few octaves higher as if she were scared.

Katniss and Clove whipped around with their weapons threateningly aimed at the intruder holding a gun at Prim's head.

"Make a single noise, and I blow this little girlie's brains out." The man hissed. "And put your weapons down now."

With no other choice, the girls complied.

"Now, you're gonna go to this room," He gestured toward Clove's and Katniss' room with his gun. "Tie yourselves up and sit like good little girls in the closet. And if you don't follow my orders, I'll shoot you all."

The man easily stood a head taller than them with a muscular build and intimidating aura. His brief baring of teeth revealed years of neglect and his almost black eyes shone with pure criminal intent. There was no way Clove and Katniss could take down this man before he put a bullet in Prim's head.

And Prim...poor Prim with her wide and incredibly frightened blue eyes. She was so afraid and confused; a horrible mix of emotions for a young child. Her lips were trembling as tears slipped down her pale cheeks and she stared helplessly at her older sister and cousin. They were just as helpless once Prim finished binding their hands with small rope.

The girls didn't wait long before they heard multiple footsteps advancing toward the room.

"Please don't hurt my babies," Iris's pleading voice could be heard from the stair case. Then a loud slapping noise resonated throughout the house along with a brief yelp of pain.

"Shut up, bitch." A gruff voice threatened her.

Then, they all walked in the room at once. Iris, Kale, and at least six or seven other people Clove had never seen in her life. Each stranger shared the same physical characteristics: cruel, aggressive, and threatening.

The moment Iris and Kale laid eyes on their beloved young ones their faces became immediately stricken with pure terror. That break of emotion certainly didn't ease Clove's fears. So many questions were roaming through her head when finally her father stumbled in after being pushed by several men.

"Fadda?!" Clove called in total alarm. "Fadda, what's going on?"

He looked up at his daughter and Clove could see the fear and pain within his eyes. "Everything will be okay, baby." His strong voice wavered with his knowledge of the inevitable.

"Well...I guess you were telling the truth then, Ben." A smooth male voice sounded from behind two big men. They parted to reveal a smaller, but even more intimidating man. "Your little kiddies here don't know anything about this."

"Yes," Clove's father looked down at the ground before meeting eyes with his daughter for a quick second. He brought his attention back to the man. "None of us have told our children anything. So please, Cray...Romulus...Enobaria...don't hurt them. They don't know."

Each of the people he acknowledged by name looked at one another, thinking of the pros and cons that would result from killing innocent children. Though many were sadists, it doesn't mean they didn't have control and common sense. The Boss wouldn't be happy hearing about the deaths of whole families. The less effort, the less of a chance that evidence would be left behind for others to discover. Plus, investigators tend to intensify their search for answers when it comes to something like child cases.

"Cray," The other man, Romulus, said before withdrawing a handheld gun from his belt holster. "What do you say we do?"

"Hmm...it's quite tempting to just put a bullet in all their heads."

"Don't be stupid, Cray." The woman-probably Enobaria-hissed. "The FBI would definitely be on this case and they'd try their absolute best to solve it. When people kill kids, it turns personal for most investigators."

Romulus towered over the woman, trying to intimidate her with his piercing green eyes that would freeze anyone in place with fear. That and a long scar from above his right eyebrow directly down to his cheekbone were the only things Clove could remember about him. The woman didn't waver at all. Instead, she bared her teeth at him like a wild animal which revealed her golden fangs; one of the other details Clove could recall.

"Let's just do what we came here for and get the hell outta here." Enobaria ordered. She snapped her fingers and the others dragged Iris, Kale, and Ben closer together. "Now...Kale, Ben...I will ask you one last time..."

Clove paused, her eyebrows furrowed due to frustration. "I don't remember what she asked of them..."

Cato squeezed her hand gently. "It's alright just continue and maybe we can try and fill in the gaps ourselves later on."

Ben Braveheart and Kale Everdeen glanced at each other and at Iris. They all nodded before Ben looked right at the three criminals. "You can go screw yourselves."

Cray scoffed and raised a gun. "Any last words to your kids?"

Katniss and Prim began sobbing and begging to leave their parents alone.

But Clove...she just sat there. With her wrists bound and a gun held at her family members, all she did was stare emptily at her father. She couldn't explain why she was so deathly calm, it was just how it was.

Her father looked at her with grief and love at the same time. "Remember our promises and the lessons I taught you, Clove."

She nodded absentmindedly, still in a complete daze.

"I love you, Clove." He continued. "Take care of your cousins. Be wise. Be true. Be brave."

Then, Cray ended his life and Iris's and Kale's life with three pulls of the trigger.

Prim and Katniss were hysterical and crawled over to their beloved parents. Clove just sat there, unable to digest the horror that had just occurred before her very own eyes. The group of intruders were exiting the room when the last two people turned around. Enobaria and Romulus grinned sadistically at the damage they caused before flitting their attention to the phlegmatic girl in the closet.

"It's a shame you couldn't save your parents." Romulus mocked. "Such a shame."

"Just remember, child," Enobaria said in a pretend sweet way. "We'll be watching you, so don't give us an excuse to come back here. If you do, I promise you...you'll regret it."

They both laughed cruelly and headed out the room. Clove stared at the empty doorway, devoid of any emotion. It was as if she were frozen in time. She continued watching the entrance and couldn't register the sounds of her grieving cousins. She couldn't even register Gale Hawthorne walking through the doorway with a look of horror and disbelief. He shook her a couple of times, but she was still unresponsive, so he diverted his attention in consoling Katniss and Prim.

"911? We need help at 21210 Queens Court. There's been a home invasion and some people have been shot and killed..." Gale said into his phone. "Please come quick."

Five minutes later, Clove finally registered the sirens and the blinding red lights before she passed out from shock. All she could recall after that was complete darkness and the horrible feeling of loneliness. Not only that, but total regret. She regretted not taking action to save her family. She regretted not being brave.

* * *

**Sorry for taking so long to update! Since I'm in my most important years of high school it means I have to give up my free time to study...I know it sucks. Studying during summer. The worst nightmare ever. But there's still more to come so buckle your seatbelts my lovely followers and reviewers. By the way, I'm not sure if this should be my last story or not...I know I put up that poll for my next story but I'm not too sure anymore...what do you guys think**? **Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**I decided to add a short chapter to try and make up for taking so long on the last one. Plus the fact that the ending to this one would be too big to just condense it all into one chapter (I like to build suspense). I'll try to update asap. But remember, more reviews=quicker updates!**

* * *

_All she could recall after that was complete darkness and the horrible feeling of loneliness. Not only that, but total regret. She regretted not taking action to save her family. She regretted not being brave._

"That's just the thing, Clove." Cato smiled assuringly at her. "You are brave...so much braver than you think."

She kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Thank you."

"Anytime, babe." He smirked playfully before leaning in for another kiss.

Of course they were interrupted once again.

Katniss opened the door without knocking and quickly realized she walked in at a bad time. "Sorry," she shrugged apologetically. "I didn't mean to ruin your alone time, but we have a meeting downstairs. _Now_."

"About what?" Clove asked.

Katniss shrugged again. "I'm guessing it's about our current...predicament."

* * *

"Guys, we can't stay at Marvel's house for longer than another day." Thresh stated. "We can't afford for Glimmer to pay us another one of her 'surprise' visits."

"But where else can we go and keep the kids safe?" Madge asked wearily.

"And manage to stay under the radar from the Capitol gang-group...whatever the hell they are..." Peeta added.

"What if I just kept you guys in the basement?" Marvel suggested weakly. "You can hide like last time..."

"Uh...I don't think so Marvel." JJ said uncertainly, getting an idea of why he even offered that in the first place.

He glared back at her. "You got any better ideas, JJ?"

_Touché, Emeralds_...JJ thought sourly.

The room was silent for a few moments before an extremely daring-but possibly brilliant-idea popped inside Cato's head. It wasn't exactly an idea; it was more of an impulsive form of wishful thinking that he would blurt out regardless if it was reckless or not. Only one name was ringing in his head and it wasn't his girlfriend's.

"Annie."

Everyone in the room all turned their heads toward the pondering blonde.

"_What_?" Marvel looked at him funny. "Whose Annie?"

Cato glanced at him and everyone else, finally cognizant he said that out loud. "She's my little sister. The Capitol kidnapped her back in LA when I was around seven."

"Why would they kidnap your sister?" Gale asked, hearing this story for the first time.

"My father owed them a shitload of money which he never bothered paying. I've been trying to gather enough money to get her back, but it's been a struggle."

"But Cato," Peeta interjected. "What does Annie have to do with finding a safe place?"

Cato paused a moment before standing up, determination clear on his face. "We can find a place to stay in LA. While we're there, I can maybe trace my steps or just find anything about what happened to Annie."

"Hold up, braddah." Thresh said reasonably. "Lets not be too rash about this. I really want to help you find Annie, but you gotta think about this better."

"I don't need to think about it anymore." Cato argued back. "We can stay at my friend's place. Gale, you know who I'm talking about right?"

Gale's grey eyes lit up with recognition. "That's actually a good idea."

"What?" Madge was just as confused as the rest of the group.

"There's a guy we know back in LA." Cato explained quickly. "His parents are famous, rich actors, so they have a big ass house with bodyguards and all that crap."

"Seriously?" Katniss was quite intrigued with this whole subject. "Okay, so say that we all agree on this plan. How the hell do we get to LA from here?"

Cato froze. So maybe he hadn't exactly thought this through..."Uh, plane?"

"I don't think so, Brooks." Marvel replied curtly, not liking his idea at all.

"Yeah, a plane is too risky." JJ agreed with him for once. "They'll find us there. In fact, they'll just find us _anywhere_."

"What if it was by a private jet?" Gale countered.

"Who the hell owns a private jet?" Marvel asked.

"Our rich friend does as a matter of fact." Cato retorted with a confident smirk. Maybe his plan could work after all. "I'll just hit him up and we'll be down in the Golden State in no time."

"You can't be serious." Marvel laughed dryly. "Clove? This is crazy, _yeah_?"

Everyone turned to her, expecting her to pick a side. She shrugged. "Yeah, I agree, it's totally _pupule_."** {pupule=crazy}**

"_See_?" Marvel said exasperatedly.

"But," She added. "It's safer than staying here."

Cato grinned triumphantly. "So it's settled then? We're going to LA, baby!"

* * *

**So now we've reached more towards the climax :) which means I'm half way done! I really wanna figure out what to do with myself after I finish this story. Continue writing or just...whatever. Comment something you would like me to write be it one shots or a whole other story! Your feedback is much appreciated! **


	23. Chapter 23

_Everyone turned to her, expecting her to pick a side. She shrugged. "Yeah, I agree, it's totally pupule."_

_"See?" Marvel said exasperatedly. _

_"But," She added. "It's safer than staying here." _

_Cato grinned triumphantly. "So it's settled? We're going to LA, baby!" _

* * *

"Shit, Cato," Gale said from behind him. "Are you supplying the army or something? You can't take weapons on a plane."

Cato, Thresh, and Gale were at Thresh's place because Cato asked to "grab some extra stuff". Right when they got there, Cato began packing guns, knives, tasers, and just about anything else that Thresh's basement/training arena possessed. You can't be too safe after all.

"_Private_ plane, Gale." He corrected. "I called our buddy and told him everything. He said he would even come and pick us up himself to ensure we get to his place safely."

"Even if we did get in trouble," Thresh continued. "Do you not remember who my parents are? Or Marvel's?"

"Oh, _Marvel_..." Gale rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Yeah, he would definitely want to save our asses."

Thresh chuckled in agreement. "True."

"Okay guys, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't just leave us there." Cato protested a little. "He can't be that shady, right?"

Thresh snorted. "Brah, he hates your Haole ass." **{Haole=Caucasian} **

"Yeah, but look at all he's done for us."

"You mean look at all he's done for _Clove_." Gale corrected. "He still wants to get in her pants, Cato, so I'd watch your back before that boy jabs a spear into it."

"If he still likes her, then why would be leave her for Glimmer?"

The other two guys glanced at each other knowingly before Thresh decided to answer."Glimmer may seem like some attractive, ditzy blonde, but she's quite manipulative when she wants something."

"I'm guessing she wanted Marvel, so she managed to get him to open up to her."

"Bingo," Gale confirmed. "Or maybe she wanted to ruin Clove's relationship just because. Either way, she's an evil bitch you don't want to get involved with."

Cato nodded in understanding. "Well, I think that's all the weapons and money we can fit in these bags."

* * *

"Clo? Kat?" Prim called from the entrance to the basement.

"Downstairs, Prim!" Katniss answered.

Prim and Rue, each holding little Cayden and Leilani in their skinny arms made their way downstairs. JJ and Madge were usually the main care takers of the kids when the others were too busy with other situations such as packing their own weapons. Katniss and Clove were strapping knives and daggers to their ankles, arms, and even fitting them in sheaths they managed to strap to a belt. They stashed their extra blades and archery sets in separate bags already and were preparing to load them into the car.

"Why are you holding so many knives?" Rue asked curiously.

"Because we need to keep you guys safe," Clove replied smoothly. "The knives will help keep bad people away from us."

"Like the bad people who killed, Mitchell?"

Katniss and Clove both paused at Rue's sensitive question. She is only ten years old after all. It's hard to answer without scaring most kids.

"Yes." Clove finally said.

Rue's wide brown eyes met Clove's, filling with slight sadness. "Mitchell was my friend. Why would they want to hurt him?"

"They didn't want Mitchell." Katniss answered truthfully. "Those bad people want to hurt us. That's why we need these weapons, Rue, and that's why we're always running. It's why we can't go back home, Prim, and why we're going to LA."

Clove kneeled down to place a hand on Prim's and Rue's shoulder. "Basically, everything we are doing now is only because we want to keep you and the twins safe. We need you two to be strong now and take care of the twins whenever we can't as well. Can you do that for us?"

Prim and Rue nodded, their expressions solemn and making them appear as if they were five years older.

"Thank you." Clove said sincerely. And with that, the girls walked out with the twins a little bit wiser and a little bit more grown up.

Katniss sat down and sighed, rubbing her sleep deprived eyes. "I feel like I could just sleep for a whole year. "

Clove chuckled before shouldering a backpack and grabbing some other filled bags. "Once we get on that jet, we'll be able to get six hours of sleep."

"Fair enough." Her cousin followed suit, grabbing her archery set and the remaining bags. "Let's throw these in the car and take a nap, yeah?"

"Definitely."

* * *

Marvel was relaxing on the couch and amusedly watching the kids play quietly on the floor when Madge came in the room. "Hey, Marvel."

He sat up and looked behind at her. She gave a small smile and was holding two sippy cups for the twins. He just nodded. "Hey, Madge."

She sat down on the floor to give the twins their apple juice. "I just wanted to thank you for everything you've done for us. Even though I know you only did it for Clove, I'm still in your debt."

He was quite surprised by her unexpected kind words. "Oh...no problem at all. I kinda like the twins and I've always had a soft spot for Prim."

"Everyone does." She agreed softly.

"Can I ask you something?"

This piqued her curiosity. "Of course."

"What's going to happen when you guys get to LA?" Marvel asked worriedly. "You can't just live out the rest of your lives there hiding from those criminals."

Madge thought about this for a few moments. "It's more like we're trying to hide the younger ones. Cato is going back to find clues about his sister and we're just trying to find answers..."

Marvel paused and decided to ask about his number one fear. He leaned forward and whispered softly, so the others couldn't hear. "Do you think this could end in more bloodshed?"

She instantly paled and a chill crawled down her spine at the word "blood". "I really hope it doesn't."

* * *

"Hey Peeta, do you need some help?" JJ asked, drawn into the kitchen by the mouthwatering scents of Peeta's sublime culinary skills at work.

"Sure," He smiled. "You can help me finish making these spam musubis so I can wrap them up for the trip." **{spam musubi is a popular Hawaiian food. It's spam wrapped in rice which is wrapped in seaweed...super yummy!}**

"How many are you planning on making?"

"Hmm, probably 22. Two for each person and the twins get one."

JJ looked at the vast amounts of not only ingredients to make spam musubis, but also of soup cans and breakfast bars. "Why did you get so much food?"

He shrugged. "Just incase. When we leave this semi safe haven, I want to be prepared for the worst."

"How much did this cost though..?"

"This is all from Marvel's cabinets. He took out the cans of spam and soup and also the bars himself. He said he has enough food to last him years, so he just let us take some for the road."

"Oh...well that's...thoughtful of him." JJ replied dubiously. _Why is Marvel being so damn kind all of a sudden?_

Peeta narrowed his usually bright and friendly blue eyes at the girl. "What are you so suspicious about?"

"Marvel."

"Look, JJ, I know Marvel's behavior is a little sketchy to some of us, but he's trying to earn forgiveness and get back on our good sides."

"_Our_ good sides? Or _her_ good side?" She countered. "I still think he believes he has a chance with her. Who knows what he would do to eliminate the competition...if you know what I mean by that."

He sighed in agreement. "Honestly, it won't matter whether he had a chance or not. We'll be gone in two hours to the mainland. We probably won't see him for a really long time."

"You're right." JJ smiled half heartedly. It wasn't a win-win situation at all.

But little did they know that Marvel was listening from the bottom of the staircase, finally deciding on his next move.

* * *

Clove felt refreshed from her short nap. It was a temporary relief from all the chaos that had been occurring around them. She stretched and sleepily made her way down stairs, not even bothering to fix her slightly messy hair. Once she reached the bottom step, she froze.

Glimmer was peering in through the glass of the front door, straight at her.

_Shit_, was all that Clove thought before she sprinted for the kitchen and family room. "Marvel, your girl is about to break in the house with her long, manicured claws. I think it's time for us to leave."

"MARVEL YOU CHEATER!" Glimmer shrieked lividly as she banged her fist against the door. "OPEN THIS DAMN DOOR _NOW_!"

"Oh shit," JJ said as she and Madge grabbed the twins. "She's having her famous bitch tantrums. We better get the hell outta here."

Then they heard the door almost being thrown of its hinges. "CLOVE YOU'RE DEAD TO ME!"

"How the hell did she get in?" Peeta asked exasperatedly. There was no way everyone could clear out of the house in time.

Marvel slapped his hand to his face. "I forgot she knows where I keep my spare key to the house."

Glimmer rounded the corner with a slightly insane, murderous gleam in her once attractive green eyes. "I should have known you were lying to me from the very start. No one cheats on me..._no one._"

"It's not what you think, Glim." Marvel held up his hands like you would if a rabid animal was stalking toward you.

"Don't call me Glim, asshole." She hissed. "And _you_!" She pointed at Clove. "You little whore. You know what? I'll find a way to get my daddy to put you two in jail!"

"_Seriously_?" Madge asked, as if Glimmer had the audacity to even say such a thing. "It's your fadda versus my fadda."

"Shut the hell up," She snarled before pulling out her phone. "No one is getting out of this house unless your hands are in cuffs!"

All of a sudden Katniss sprung from behind Glimmer and swung a pot around so it slammed right in her face. _Bang! _The pretty blonde fell ungracefully to the floor and dropped her phone in the process.

"Wow," JJ said as she stared down at Glimmer's limp form. "Way to damage her fake nose."

"That's what I was aiming for anyway." Katniss replied nonchalantly. "She won't be unconscious forever though. We need to get on that damn plane."

Clove nudged Glimmer with her foot. "We also need to figure out what to do with this."

JJ lit up as she always does when a brilliant idea pops in her mind. "I think I know what we can do."

* * *

"Excuse me nurse?" Rue asked innocently.

The nurse turned around with a cheerful smile on her face. "What can I do to help you young lady?"

"My friend and I were playing and we found this girl in an alley." Rue said as Prim pushed Glimmer in a wheelchair. "She's hurt really bad."

"Oh, did you see what happened?"

"No..." Prim started. "But we did see her with some huge men. They were laughing and drinking when they went in the alley, so we didn't mind them. But we saw her like this on the ground an hour later. Please help her nurse!"

The lady pursed her lips in distaste. _Probably just a prostitute who didn't satisfy her customers well enough_, she concluded to herself. "I'll take her from here, girls."

"Okay, thank you." Rue and Prim smiled sweetly and they walked casually toward the exit holding hands.

They jumped into Thresh's car with triumphant grins on their youthful little faces. JJ smirked from the front seat; her plan went as smoothly as she thought it would. "Just wait until her fadda gets a call about Glimmer in the hospital due to her dissatisfied sex clients smacking her unconscious. He won't believe her denials."

Thresh kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks babe; you just bought us a good amount of time."

"What is a sex client?" Prim asked innocently.

Clove and Katniss gave JJ a pointed look while the guys and Madge snickered. "Yeah," Clove said sarcastically. "Thanks a lot, _babe_."

"Sorry...please omit that, Prim." JJ smiled sheepishly. "Let's just go to LA now, please."

* * *

Luckily, the ride to the airport was short. Thresh drove around the place where the cars are usually supposed to register and park to a smaller, isolated station.

"Aren't you supposed to go to the big parking lot back there?" Madge asked.

"Just wait." Gale put his arm around her.

He drove up to the single station and the woman inside of it stood up from her seat. She seemed like just another average girl with a bright white smile and a designated uniform. "Hi, are you lost? The parking lot for you guys would be back there."

"Oh, but it says on this card we're supposed to go somewhere around here." Thresh replied like some lost tourist. He pulled out a card with a set of numbers and letters scrawled on it from his pocket and handed it to her. "Can you tell us where to go?"

Her eyes flashed with recognition at the code, but she remained with the same smile and friendly manner. "Actually, you're at the right place! Just go through here and follow the designated path ahead. Have a good day!"

"You too, ma'am." Thresh said politely before driving through.

"What did you give her?" Katniss asked.

"The password to get us in this secret tunnel. It'll lead us straight to the jet without going through the normal route of security checks and stuff like that."

"Our buddy gave us these instructions and code over the phone." Cato further explained.

"Who is this guy?" JJ turned to look at him.

Gale and Cato exchanged glances and smirked before Cato turned back. "You'll see. We don't want to say in advance because we want to surprise some of you. Remember, he's the son of two well known celebrities."

"Great, and we really need to get ourselves on the front of some magazine." Clove retorted. "What happened to staying on the down low?"

"All celebrities can hide their very most important secrets." Thresh stated as a matter of fact. "Keeping us as refugees would be a good example."

Thresh made a final turn and exited the tunnel. "We're here."

He drove a little but further until they were next to a huge white jet with light blue at the tips of each wing and the tail. Ocean wave designs were painted beautifully at the bottom of the sides from front to end. It was a beautiful sight to behold for most of the group. They all exited the car to wait and also to stare at the magnificent jet. The side door was already opened and stairs led down to the bottom, beckoning them to climb up and explore the interior. A boy came through the door and made his way to the group. He was tall-around Cato's and Gale's height-with naturally tan skin you could only get through many hours on the beach. He flashed an extremely bright and charming smile with perfect teeth; an obvious trait a normal celebrity would have. Then he ran a hand through his bronze, lush hair and removed his sunglasses to reveal stunning sea green eyes.

Madge, Prim, and Rue pointed at him with enthusiastic and shocked expressions while the rest were a mixture of amused, impressed, or neutral to the handsome celebrity in front of them.

"I believe I haven't fully introduced myself to some of you..." He bowed politely. "My name is Finnick Odair. It's a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

**So how do you like that intro of the famous Finnick Odair? I thought it would be fitting to make him a celebrity. Okay review and give me feedback! Some of you reviewers are psychic! Guessing some points in my chapters before I even publish them...or maybe your comments are just too good so I put them in my stories :) **

**keep up the reviews! More reviews=faster updates! **


End file.
